School
by hColleen
Summary: Title may change...Kurama's a new transfer student, Yusuke a punk...there's bound to be problems, but not all what you'd expect. AU...ShonenAi complete...aren't you sad?
1. Chapter 1

If it wasn't one thing, it was the other. The only conclusion that could be reached was that the universe was conspiring against them. That…or one of them was lying. But, why would that happen. They'd been through too much to lie, hadn't they?

Perhaps it would be better to begin…well, with the beginning. Back in time, to when they first met, trying to figure out what exactly brought them together, and what held them apart. Maybe some understanding could be found in examining history.

They hadn't met under the best of circumstances, but how often did people meet under the "best of circumstances"?

Maybe now would be a good time to introduce the protagonists of this story?

To the left, running late for class and not caring, we have one Yusuke Urameshi. The bell had rung 30 seconds ago and he was lazily making his way through the hall, hands clasped behind his head as he idly whistled, staring at the ceiling, swaggering down the hall, earphones firmly in place, playing loud enough for the words to be understood at a distance of three feet. Every line of his body, from the torn black t-shirt and faded, worn black jeans, to the lackadaisical manner in which he walked screamed "punk" to anyone who spared half a glance.

To the right, also running late but caring deeply, we have one Shuichi Minamino, transfer student struggling to make his way through the maze of hallways on his second day. Running, and not looking where he was going, he ran smack dab into the center of Yusuke's chest, his momentum forcing both boys to fall and land harshly on their asses. Pulling a headphone out of his ear, Yusuke yelled, "What the fuck are you thinking, asshole?" And thus, our heroes meet. Not a very promising start, to say the least, but it gets better, trust me.

"I'm trying to get to class. Shouldn't you be there too?"

"Fuck off, bastard, I don't need you on my ass, too."

"I'd rather not be anywhere near your ass!"

"You haven't got a chance, nerd."

"What makes you think I'd want it?"

"Oh, let's see…you look more like a girl than half the girls in this fucking excuse of a prison with that long red hair, that pretty face and your fucking prettiness."

Kurama, for that is what his friends from his old school, blinked. "So, not only are you a punk ass looser, but you're a fag too?" he shot back.

"Get over yourself, Cinder-fuckin-ella. I wouldn't do you if you were the last person on earth and my hands had been cut off."

A snort, "I wouldn't let you. You're not my type."

"And just what is your type, ass?"

"Someone with more genetic material." Kurama stood, dusting himself off and picked up his scattered books. He moved to leave and found himself thrown against the nearby wall of lockers. "What is your malfunction?" he demanded.

Gripping the redhead's arm with one hand, Yusuke yanked the second earphone from its nest and growled out, "What's your name, dickwad?"

"Why do you care?" Kurama tried to break free, his head turned in the direction he wanted to go, but found his other arm pinned as well. "Let me go!"

Yusuke bent closer, trying to meet the eyes of the one he held. When the redhead finally did meet his gaze, the boy was amazed at the clear green that met his brown eyes. "Your name," he insisted.

Unsure why exactly, the redhead answered, "Kurama."

"Yusuke," was the reply as the dark haired boy continued to hold the redhead to the lockers. Suddenly realizing he was staring, Yusuke released Kurama, a hint of pink on his cheeks. "Better hurry, if you're more than two minutes late, they'll mark you absent," he added as he returned his headphones to his ear. Just before resuming his earlier gait, Yusuke turned, facing the flustered redhead once more, "Catch ya round, Kurama." With a wink, Yusuke strutted down the hall, still obviously with no intention of going to class. Kurama watched after him a moment bemused before turning and quickly making his way to the classroom and hastily apologizing for being late.

And, thus, our characters meet. Not a great start to be sure, but there's still hope, isn't there? That's what we'd like to believe, isn't it? After all, isn't it hope that keeps us going, keeps us struggling with bad beginnings and with rough middles, hoping that, somehow, the ending will be worth it. And, who knows, maybe it will be, but there is still the middle and we're really still on the beginning of our journey. Where will our path lead us? Perhaps you'd like to hear less from me and more from our heroes. The next time they meet is just as propitious an occasion.

Lunch…or what passed for it in the school cafeteria. It'd been two weeks since our two first met and they'd managed to avoid each other since. If Yusuke had any classes with Kurama, he skipped them. Not surprising, really, considering he skipped almost all his classes, the school was seriously considering withdrawing him, only stopped by the fact that his mother had connections with the head of the organized crime family, the unofficial dictators of the town, and that effectively tied their hands. Kurama had learned the halls, finding them simpler once he'd had a chance to wander about after school. He'd almost forgotten the indignity of his meeting Yusuke, finding new acquaintances far more interesting than one brief encounter that was unlikely to be repeated. He wouldn't travel in the same circles as the punk, anyways.

As I was saying…it was lunch time, two weeks later. Kurama was sitting at a table with food…or what was supposed to be food…some rectangular item that claimed a fleeting resemblance to pizza under its glistening skin of grease, limp cold fries and milk…an attempt at healthy eating, when a hand reached around him, snagging one of the cold fries and dragging it through the pizza grease as his first acquaintance sat next to him. "Hey, red, I thought your name was Kurama? Who's this Shuichi person I hear about?"

Glaring at the insolent punk, he answered, "Shuichi's my name. Kurama was what my friends called me and I got used to answering to it."

Yusuke grinned lopsidedly, stealing another fry and running through the orange pizza topping again, "So, we're friends now?"

"Did I say that?" the redhead answered coldly. "Leave my lunch alone."

"It's not like you were eating it," Yusuke countered, grabbing several fries and shoving them in his mouth as Kurama's hands came up to take them back.

Disgusted Kurama shoved the plate at Yusuke, "Fine if you want them, take them."

"Aww, c'mon, don't be that way. It's more fun if you're mad about me stealing them." Yusuke pushed the plate back. "Besides, you still haven't answered me. We friends?"

Narrowed green eyes met brown ones, "No matter how I answer, you're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

Smirking, "You're smart as they say you are."

Sighing in resignation, Kurama answered, "I suppose we could get to be friends." His eyes flew wide as he felt a hand run through his hair. Shocked, he looked over at the other boy, swatting his hand away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Not answering, Yusuke stood. "Catch ya later," he winked as he spoke. Touching the flaming locks again, he walked away, chuckling lightly at the redhead's discomfort.

Kurama was so upset by the encounter, he didn't taste the food he mechanically put into his mouth. It was probably better that way. His mind was racing around in circles. Yusuke had never denied being homosexual when they'd met in the hall and this second encounter shattered any remaining doubt. Kurama was shocked. Yeah, he'd been called girlie before, but no guy had ever hit on him. It was disquieting to say the least. Down right creepy when one actually was honest with their assessment. A shudder traveled up his spine as he deposited his now empty plate in the trash and made his way to his next class.

Now, this is a school, of course, and you know a school has more than just two students. So, let's meet a few other students, shall we. It ties in well with our next…well, it's not really an encounter since one participant wasn't aware of the action, but we'll use that word for lack of a better one…our next encounter between the two we're most interested in.

Yusuke was seated on a sturdy tree root. The tree itself was thickly leaved and even on the sunniest of days, the root was dark. It suited him. And his friend. Between his legs, facing away from him, a shorter boy, Hiei Jaganshi by name, sat, moving slightly as he faced away from Yusuke. They were under the tree to watch the track team practice. They both enjoyed the sight of lithe young bodies scantily clad working up a sweat. Yusuke spied the flaming red locks of his new friend and he murmured, "Hey, you heard anything about Kurama?"

Hiei spared him the smallest of glances as he continued to move, "Who's Kurama?"

"That new redhead," Yusuke answered, grunting.

Grunting as well, Hiei asked, "Ya mean Shuichi?"

"Yeah, him…told me his friends called him Kurama."

"Gotta thing for him?"

"He's pretty." Yusuke groaned loudly.

"You do go for that type, don't you?" Hiei panted out, letting his hands come to rest on the ground.

"Complaining?" Yusuke asked, rubbing the boy's back.

"Nah, not really. But, you sure he'd be up for it?" Hiei looked over his shoulder, his eyes so odd a brown they seemed red, "He seems a bit straight, in more ways than one."

"I just think he's inexperienced. He said we could be friends." His own chocolate colored eyes followed the bright red hair as it moved inside, track practice having reached an end.

"Plan on sharing?"

Yusuke shrugged, a lecherous grin on his face, "If I get my way, you'd better believe it!"

Hiei snorted, adjusted his clothing and moved to walk away. "I gotta walk my sister home. See ya later."

Yusuke shifted on the branch, also adjusting his clothing. "Yeah, later." His eyes were still watching the red hair, now joined by a taller teen he knew. Growling slightly, he watched the two walk together into the locker room.

Hiei looked over to see the same sight. Rolling his eyes, he left the shade of the tree. Things would get interesting now with the idiot involved.

Now, to the other side of the field, shall we?

Kurama enjoyed running. It made him feel free, light, as if he could fly away. He could feel the smile on his lips as he flew past his teammates in the 100 and 400 meter dashes. He loved the short burst of speed in the 100 meter, and the longer paced effort of the 400, but his favorite event, by far, was the 1600 meter race. Four times around the track, pacing himself, holding back just enough for that final burst of speed in the last leg of the last lap. That he relished. He loved the feel of the wind through his hair, the pounding of the track beneath his feet, the panting breaths of the others as they caught up to him past the finish line. This was bliss. He could even forget about the encounter over lunch when he ran. Almost forgot it completely until the tall high jumper walked over to him. "Hey, that Urameshi dude bothering you today?"

Kurama looked up, a little surprised he had to look up. He was usually one of, if not the tallest in a group. "Urameshi?" he repeated.

"Y'know…that punk, Yusuke Urameshi."

"Oh, I didn't know his last name. What do you mean, bothering me?"

"I saw him buggin' you at lunch."

Memory erased by practice came back, "Oh, that…no, it wasn't anything really. I can handle myself, thank you."

"Kuwabara," the taller teen, with strangely orange colored hair and a face a mother and few others would love, said while offering Kurama his hand.

Not wanting to repeat his mistake with Yusuke, he answered, taking the hand, "Shuichi."

Kuwabara pumped the hand a couple of times, "Pleased to meet you. If you ever need any help with Urameshi, let me know. I'll be happy for an excuse to pound him."

"I'll…uh…keep that in mind." Kurama was glad his locker was in a different row than Kuwabara's. The guys in this school were just too….friendly…and he wasn't sure he cared for it.

Well, now, our school's population reaches four…and a track team. I'm sure they all have their own stories, their own little intrigues, romances, problems. But, that is not the focus of this story, so sadly, they will remain merely shadows, mostly supplied by your imagination. We now have our main players and the stage is set for our drama to unfold and maybe as we journey together through this history, we'll find the answers to the questions I asked to begin with. It may seem obvious right now, but trust me, there is a lot more to this story.

A/N Well...it's been awhile since I've written anything I could post here...I just started freewriting and this is what came out. Hope you like it. Review and let me know...make me happy and keep me writing ;)

Disclimer: I don't own 'em...they're not mine, though I think they may own me ;)


	2. Chapter 2

So, we've met our main characters. I'm sure you'd like to know a little more about them. I mean, you're reading this after all, right? Okay, why don't we go through a little background information on each of them just to see what we're working with. The next encounter is very soon, but I think we have time to go over the basics.

Let's start with Hiei. Last name, Jaganshi. He's a bit complicated to explain, actually. The sister he mentioned doesn't know she's his sister. See, here's the story. He and she are twins, but his mom was really beyond pissed when his father up and left her while she was stuck on bed rest for three months. It was a difficult pregnancy and his leaving did nothing to help. The twins were born two months early, and barely survived. Yukina, his sister, was told her brother died, but the truth was, he was put up for adoption. His adopted father is Sensui Shinobu, a local judge. So, why Jaganshi for a last name? Well, having a judge for a father comes in very handy when you want information. His biological father's name was Jaganshi, he found out, so he goes by it. Yukina's last name, just for matter of record, is Koorime, and Yusuke is the only other person Hiei's told about his sister. Why is this? What is their relationship? It's complicated to say the least. You could call them "best friends," but that's not quite right. Neither is "lovers," really, since neither of them claims any affection for the other, no matter how often they decide to…well, have fun, for lack of a better euphemism. What if we go with "friends with benefits"? That's probably the best we'll do for a label.

Next, we'll meet Kuwabara, first name Kazuma. Why does Hiei think of him as an idiot? Well, mostly it has to do with the fact that Kazuma is head over heels with Yukina. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, really, but he'd had his run-ins with Hiei and Yusuke. He and Yusuke were what you'd call rivals…or maybe a strange form of best friend. There were times it was hard to tell. The two boys understood more about each other than either cared to admit and that usually led to all out fist fights. Kuwabara's nose had been broken a few times, courtesy of Yusuke's fist. So, why is Kuwabara on the track team? Well, he's not quite as much of a punk as Yusuke, nor is he quite the idiot Hiei thinks he is. He's intelligent, just not terribly smart, if you know what I mean. And, while he does come across as overly friendly, he's not into guys. He's only got eyes for Yukina.

Who next? Yusuke or Kurama? I bet your wondering about Kurama's nickname, aren't you? Did you know that "Kurama" means "warehouse stallion"? Kinda interesting, isn't it? So, how did he get that name? Get your minds out of the gutter, it's got nothing to do with that. Kurama used to work with horses when he was in junior high. There was a girl, an exchange student, who kinda had a thing for him, a little bit of a crush. It was junior high, these things happen. When she saw him working with the horses, almost seeming to talk to them, she started calling him Kurama…and it just kinda stuck. So now, Shuichi Minamino, "Excellent first of the southern field" has a ready made porn name, if he were so inclined. He's not, but that really doesn't matter. I was going some place when I started this. Ah, yes. It's been four years since he was dubbed Kurama. So, why did he move? That has to do with our next encounter so I'm not going to tell you yet, you'll have to wait for Kurama to tell you himself.

Now, Yusuke. Number one punk, and totally homosexual. You never would have guessed that, would you? So, what's his story? Well, his mom was fifteen when he was born. That's a great start in life, isn't it? She's one of those molls that hangs around the gangsters, never seeming to actually fit in anywhere, but is always taken care of. No one, not Yusuke, not the school, maybe not even Atsuko, his mother, is quite sure where she fits in, but she fits somewhere in the grand scheme of the local organized crime chapter. And, it's kept a roof over her head, food in her pantry, and rum in her system for years. It also keeps Yusuke in school. Just as a point of record, Yusuke is passing all his classes. Amazed? Think it has to do with his mother? Nope. He manages to show up for tests and aces them. His grades aren't that high because he doesn't do homework or other such petty things, but he is passing his classes. He's one that frustrates the teachers to no end. He also will talk more about himself, and Hiei in our next encounter. It's about to start, so shall we rejoin our main players?

Yusuke was leaning on the wall outside the boy's locker room door, waiting. It'd been about 20 minutes since the track team had come in. Several team members had already left for the day, nervously eyeing the black clad punk who stood outside the door, watching it through heavy lidded eyes. Everyone knew Yusuke's sexual preference…and it made them nervous…or maybe a little excited…to see the queer punk watching them leave the locker room. Since he said nothing to them, they hurried on, relieved and disappointed. The brown eyed boy was wondering just how long the redhead could stay in the locker rooms when the object of his desiring came out, shaking out his still damp hair.

"Were you planning on making me wait all day?" the dark haired teen muttered.

Kurama glared at Yusuke. "Why are you still here? Don't you have some havoc to wreak?" Without waiting for an answer he turned to leave, hitching his backpack over his shoulder.

"Nope, havoc taken care of for today. I'm all yours this afternoon."

"I don't want you."

"Okay. That'll change, though."

Kurama merely snorted and continued to walk, hoping that his ignoring Yusuke would encourage the boy to leave him alone. Nice plan, but…as you know, plans like that never work out. Yusuke kept walking beside Kurama, whistling occasionally, his hands behind his head. The only difference between now and the time they ran into each other in the hall was that the earphones were nowhere to be seen. Yusuke whistled badly, Kurama thought. Or that must have been what he thought, based on the sour expression that crossed his face. Or maybe it was the whistling reminded him that Yusuke was still there, still tagging along…not leaving him alone. Gotta feel sorry for the redhead, don't you? Subjected to such torture. Actually, truth be told, Yusuke whistled very well, but we'll keep that between you and me until Kurama's ready to admit it, what do you say?

Anyways, enough with the conspiracy drivel. Back to our story. And Kurama talks, his voice bitter, "Where are you going?"

"I'm walking you home," Yusuke answered cheerfully. Cheerful punk? Goes right along with queer punk, doesn't it? Our Yusuke is just a collection of opposites, isn't he? A walking oxymoron.

"I don't want you to walk me home." Actually, Kurama's not going home, but we're still going to get to that. Be patient, dear readers, it makes sense.

"Okay, fine, then, I'm walking and I just happen to be going the same general direction you're going."

"I don't want you walking with me."

"I'm not walking with you. We just happen to be going the same way."

Irritated more than he cared to admit, Kurama asked, "So, you're going to the hospital?"

This caused Yusuke to stop and drop his lackadaisical demeanor. His eyes were full of concern, honest concern, as he asked, "Why would you be going there?"

The abrupt change from punk to human startled Kurama, but then, almost everything about Yusuke kept him off balance. "My mother's there," he muttered, turning away from the compassionate brown eyes. His eyes returned to Yusuke when the boy's hand came to rest on his upper arm.

"I'm sorry, man. Why's she there?"

Kurama couldn't have stopped the word that left his mouth, no matter how hard he tried, "Cancer." He also couldn't fight against the arms that wrapped around him, wanting comfort from someone who wouldn't judge him. He was perfect. Always. But, it hurt a lot.

Yusuke allowed his hands to rub Kurama's back, the part of his mind that would have been delighted turned off for the moment. "They've got the best ward here, y'know."

Kurama allowed his forehead to rest against the brown eyed boy's shoulder, "I know. That's why we moved here."

"It's gotta suck to have to go to school and everything with her so sick." Yusuke's hand went to hold the damp red locks. Kurama wasn't returning the hug, but he wasn't backing away. Maybe…just maybe, things would work out…even if Yusuke wasn't entirely sure what he wanted and even if Kurama were straight. There was still hope and it was shown by the redhead allowing himself to be held.

Kurama shrugged. "She's happy when I do well in school or on track," he murmured, pulling back slowly from the too comfortable embrace.

Yusuke let the redhead go reluctantly. It felt good to hold him. Better than he thought it would. "You're pretty fast," he commented, keeping the human demeanor as he watched Kurama regather himself.

Green eyes met brown, "You were watching? I didn't see you."

"I don't hang with the fan clubs. I was under that big tree."

Kurama frowned. He'd noticed the tree and had thought he'd seen some type of movement under it. He wasn't sure, though. Before he could say anything, Yusuke continued. "My friend Hiei used to run track. He was pretty fast, too."

"Why'd he stop?"

"Had issues with Kuwabara and they couldn't work 'em out and the team needed a high jumper more than a sprinter, so Hiei quit."

Yusuke started walking again, hands in his pockets as the punk was kept at bay, for the moment. The two boys walked silently into the hospital, Kurama making no protests as Yusuke followed him into his mother's room.

"Hey, Mom, how are you feeling today?" the redhead asked gently to the gaunt woman sitting propped among the pillows and white sheets and blankets. Her hair was limp, ragged, showing a long hard battle had been fought in her body. There were many other signs of that war, from the waxy complexion and hollowed cheeks, the sunken eyes and the listless gaze. Tubes ran under the blankets, several of them, from the myriad of bags and pumps attached to poles on the far side of the bed. The room was decorated with drawings of flowers, some reprints, some originals. The originals came from the pen of Shuichi Minamino, a small scrawl in the corner marking them as his. Shiori loved flowers, and he'd have many in the room with his mother, if the hospital had allowed it.

"Shuichi," the woman managed to smile, her eyes lighting as she beheld her son. "I'm cold today." Her eyes caught a small motion behind the redhead and she looked toward it. "You brought a friend?" she asked. She knew her illness put a strain on her son, making it difficult to find time to be with kids his own age.

"Hello, ma'am, my name is Yusuke," the boy charmed his way over to the woman and kissed her cheek.

Shiori chuckled, "I see. You're amusing, Yusuke. I'm glad Shuichi has a friend to make him laugh."

Yusuke brought his hand up behind his head, an embarrassed gesture. He knew how to play adults. He knew how to play people period, to get what he wanted. And looking at Kurama's mother caused an unpleasant ache around his chest. He'd been thinking it'd be a simple matter, seduce the pretty redhead, play with him and leave it at that. Life, however, had different plans. "I haven't seen him laugh yet, but since you ask it, I will ensure it happens."

Kurama shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't laughed since his mother had been sick. He wasn't sure if he remembered how anymore. He didn't know his mother was aware of that, though, and he didn't want Yusuke telling her about his minor breakdown on the way to the hospital. "Mother, have you eaten today?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"I managed to keep down one of those meal drinks," she replied, her voice soft. She turned back to Yusuke, "Please see it does. I worry about him…"

"Mother, I'll be fine," Kurama insisted, sliding a hand under the blankets to hold onto one of hers. "You don't need to worry." He tensed slightly as he felt Yusuke put a hand on his shoulder.

"I promise to make sure he laughs and takes care of himself, Mrs. Minamino, and I always keep my promises." Yusuke's eyes were serious as he met Shiori's gaze. The woman smiled and relaxed back into the bed.

"How was practice today, dear?" She'd never told her son, but she'd been a track star in high school. She'd set three records her senior year that had stood for several years before being broken. She didn't know why she hadn't told him, but when he showed an interest in her sport, she encouraged him.

"Pretty good, we mostly ran wind sprints."

"He's really fast, ma'am. Left the rest way in the dust." Yusuke's hand tightened appreciatively around Kurama's shoulder.

Shiori managed to glow with pride. It's an amazing accomplishment to see someone as sick as she is glow with pride, and it made Kurama thankful for the punk, even if he was also uncomfortable with being touched at the moment. "I'm so glad to hear it."

The only problem with such emotion is it drained what little energy there is in the weakened body. Kurama squeezed his mother's hand, "Try for another drink tonight, okay? I love you. We're going to go and let you rest, okay?" He bent over and kissed her cheek.

"I like him, Shuichi. Bring him back sometime, okay?"

Caught by life, again, Kurama had no choice but to agree to more of Yusuke's presence in his life, "Okay, Mother, I will." He stepped away and walked toward the door, struggling to contain his mixed emotions.

"I'll see you later, ma'am," Yusuke smiled as he bent to kiss the woman's cheek as well.

As you surely noticed, we left the commentary pretty much at the door. There are just some situations that a running monologue should just be gagged, out of respect. Now, a little more background, since our boys won't get to discussing it. They have more to say, but this is important, so bear with me a moment before I return you to them. Kurama lives alone, in an apartment he rented with the help of his mom's boss. See, his mom's boss has a thing for her. A major thing, like totally seriously, he's in love with her. Even still, though she hasn't been able to work for months, he pays her salary and her insurance for her. He owns the company so he can do what he likes. It is this money that Kurama lives off of. The man had offered him a place to stay, but when his mother was transferred to this hospital in hopes of finding a treatment that would kill the cancer without killing Shiori, Kurama refused, wanting to be near his mother. What kind of cancer? Here's the kicker, and it majorly sucks. She has systemic cancer. It was throughout her body before she got sick enough to be diagnosed. So, why's she still have her hair? There's too much cancer for radiation to be used. No radiation, no hair loss. In all honesty, the doctors are about to the point where treatment becomes comfort. Enough…it's time to rejoin our boys.

"Where's your dad?" Yusuke asked after they left the hospital.

"Dead," Kurama answered shortly, still upset by his visit with his mother. He hated to see her so weak, but he also refused to not visit her. He knew she loved his visits, they helped her hold on. And she wanted to hold on. She'd told him so. He asked her every so often if she still wanted to fight, letting her know that he'd understand if she couldn't keep going and he'd never blame her if she had to stop.

"Man, I'm sorry," Yusuke murmured, rubbing a hand along Kurama's back as they walked.

Kurama tensed but did nothing to discourage the affection. It was beyond rude to lash out at someone who was trying to be sympathetic, no matter how much he wanted to. And Shiori had seen that her Shuichi could not be rude. She was a gentle woman and her example guided Kurama. "Don't sweat it. He died a long time ago. Before I was born, so I never knew him."

Without realizing it, Kurama had led Yusuke to his apartment and was opening the door for them. He didn't realize this until Yusuke stopped at the door. Some strange force compelled him to stop. He didn't understand it. Under any other circumstances, he would have taken advantage of the redhead's distraction, full advantage. Hell, he'd done it before. But, with everything he'd seen that afternoon, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He stopped. "Hey, I'll see you later."

Kurama paused, his key still in his hand, baffled a bit. "You're not going to come in?"

Yusuke smiled, "Nope, not even if you invited me."

"Why?"

Yusuke brought a hand up to caress Kurama's arm. "I've got different plans for you," he answered as he bent in and kissed the shocked redhead on the lips.

It was a chaste kiss, but Kurama's eyes flew wide as his hand instinctively came up and slapped the dark haired teen. "How dare you!"

Yusuke rubbed his cheek, "Nice wallop ya got there." The punk came back out in full force. "You want me to come in and do more than that to ya? I don't think so, Kurama. I have better ideas. I actually want to get to know you first. So…so, I'm gonna get to know you first. You'll just have to wait to see what I can do to make you scream. And, you'll be begging for it by then."

"Get out! Go away! Leave me alone! I don't want to see you again!" Kurama was near hysterical. This day was just conspiring to drive him insane.

"Can't do, sweetheart. Promised your mom I'd take care of you and make you laugh. I will, too. I keep my word. Just ask anyone and see if I don't!" With that, Yusuke swaggered off, leaving a very upset and confused redhead behind him.

These encounters…they just keep getting more and more strange, don't they? What will our boys do next? When is there next encounter going to be and what will it be? Are we going to begin approaching the answer to our questions? Ah, my dear reader, if only life were so simple.

A/N: Well, chapter 2...I would say things to my reviewers, but this site doesn't like that. What I will say, I've read all your reviews and they make me very happy. The tone of the story won't change, even though it is getting angsty. Now, I'm off to write chapter 3 ;D


	3. Chapter 3

Well, now, let's review what we have. One punk, gay, cheerful, and attracted to the new transfer student. One transfer student, perfect, stressed, and not attracted to the punk, though he can't really get rid of him. Life has such a way of conspiring. You noticed I didn't say our transfer student was straight, right? Is there a reason for that? Maybe. Am I going to expound on that right now? No, but not for the reason you may think. Our story line needs to continue. We're going to follow that transfer student for a while now.

Kurama was shaking as he slammed the door shut behind him, dropping his backpack on the floor next to him and slid down the door, tears leaking from his green eyes. He wrapped his arms around his bent legs and dropped his forehead to his knees. This was unusual for him. Normally, visits to his mother didn't cause this type of reaction. Normally, Yusuke's teasing wouldn't have caused it, either. But, both together conspired to rob our poor redhead of his control. It'd actually been a long time since he'd cried after visiting his mother.

But, life was not finished with him yet. He'd managed to get his tears back under control and was about to get up from the floor when the phone rang. Almost afraid to answer it, since it could only be the hospital or his mother's boss, Kurama made his way to the offensive device. "Hello," he said into the receiver.

"Shuichi? This is Maria, your mother's nurse. We need you to come back to the hospital."

Panic flooded the boy's features. Can't blame him, can you? There's only one reason they'd say that. "I'll be right there," he said tensely, slamming down the receiver as he turned to leave. He kicked his bag to the side and pulled open the door, barely remembering to lock it behind himself as he ran out of the apartment complex. He really didn't need anymore stress at the moment. But, as we know, life rarely gives us what we really need. He ran, quite literally, again, into Yusuke on his way out of his complex.

Shoving himself up, Kurama growled out, "Move!"

"Whoa, what's up?" Yusuke's voice was concerned again. He may have been the number one punk, but he could read people well. And Kurama was way more upset than when they'd last seen each other. "Where you going in such a hurry?"

"The hospital, and I don't have time to deal with you." Kurama had shoved himself up off the ground and was running now.

Yusuke took off after him, but not being a big track star, couldn't keep up. Not that it really mattered that he keep up, he just had to be there for the redhead. Now, why did he have that need? Well, he'd made a promise to his mother. And, well, how else would he get to know the redhead better if he wasn't there? So…noble and not so noble. Our Yusuke.

Kurama ran into his mother's ward, barely breaking stride. Maria, the nurse, caught him before he made it into his mother's room, though. He struggled, "Let me go!"

"Shuichi, the doctors are in there. You have to wait!"

He paused, "What happened?"

Maria sighed. She was a nice woman and it hurt her to have to tell this boy things that no adult should have to deal with, "She took a turn for the worse a bit after you left."

"What do you mean?" Kurama tried to steal himself to cope with anything. He'd forgotten that he still had tears on his face and his eyes were red from crying by his door earlier.

Maria didn't want to answer, but she knew she had to. "She started having trouble breathing. They're putting in a breathing tube. Oxygen wasn't enough."

Just then, a couple of people came out pushing a large contraption. Now, this item was a portable x-ray unit, but to those who don't know what it is, it's a huge box on wheels with a strange arm attached to it. This is what it was to Kurama. As much as he'd been in hospitals, he still wasn't very familiar with the equipment. The doctor came to the door just then, and Yusuke walked into the ward, panting hard from running. Kurama didn't hear this, though, he only had eyes and ears for the doctor at the moment. He stepped forward, "How is she?"

"She's stable. You can see her for a couple of minutes, but not very long. We're just waiting for the x-ray to be developed to make sure we have everything placed right."

Kurama nodded and stepped to the bedside. His mother looked worse than she had just maybe an hour earlier. From her mouth came a thick tube and there was the offensive mechanical sound of breathing done by a machine. His chest clenched hard as he bent over and whispered in her ear, "Mother, I love you. If it's time to let go, I understand. Don't stay just for me. I'll be okay if you have to leave me." His voice broke and he felt arms wrap around him. Startled he looked over to see Yusuke's profile as he, too bent over Shiori.

"Mrs. Minamino, I promised you I'd take care of him. I meant it. If you gotta go, I'll take care of him. Don't you worry. I'll see that he laughs again."

Kurama's eyes returned to his mother and he could see her relax. Or it seemed that way. It seemed as if she smiled around the tube in her mouth. Kurama brushed his fingers against her pale cheek, "I love you."

The doctor cleared his throat at the door and Yusuke looked over his shoulder. Kurama was focused on his mother and didn't really care about the doctor. He was irritated when the dark haired boy pulled him away. "We'll be on the roof, 'kay?" Yusuke told the doctor and Maria as they left, or rather as he forced Kurama to leave.

Unwillingly, Kurama went with Yusuke. Now, exactly how unwilling he was is a bit unclear. He was tense in the other's hold, but made no move to break it. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't really fight it, either. It was almost as if his brain and body were fighting each other and while that happened, he'd do whatever Yusuke made him do. When they reached the hospital roof, Yusuke hugged Kurama. It was a simple motion, just bringing up his other arm to hold the redhead, but it completely undid what little control Kurama had managed to regain on his way to the hospital. His legs collapsed under him, dragging both boys down as tears and sobs fell from the redhead. If this startled Yusuke at all, he didn't show it, only continuing to hold Kurama as the redhead allowed his pent up emotion to spill out of his body, clinging desperately to Yusuke as he did.

Now, you should be very proud of our Yusuke. He didn't even try to make a move on Kurama while he was vulnerable. Don't believe me? Yusuke's hands never strayed below Kurama's waist band, not once. Amazing, isn't it? But, then, we've also established that Yusuke isn't a complete idiot. And, he does have other places to work out his frustrations. He also was sincere in his desire to get to know the redhead, which kind of baffled him, truth be told. Remember how I said Hiei was probably his best friend, even though the term wasn't really accurate? Well, here's why it's not really accurate. They don't know a whole lot about each other. Well, Hiei doesn't really know a lot about Yusuke. Yusuke's one of those charming people who can draw out all your secrets while revealing none of his own. Is that really a bad thing? I don't know. Point was, Yusuke wanted to share himself with Kurama and it baffled him. He also knew that if he took advantage of Kurama's weakness, he'd never get the chance. So, result was, actual comfort instead of thinly veiled attempts at groping.

This was a bit lost on Kurama at the moment, though. All he knew was that he was being held and it felt good to be held, to be allowed to cry himself out while someone else held him. He hadn't had that opportunity before. Slowly, his tears abated and he sat quietly, his head resting on Yusuke's shoulder as Yusuke continued to stroke his back. It felt good, and he could feel his eyes drifting shut. Until a soft voice spoke up, "Hey, why don't we get you home before you fall asleep?"

Kurama pushed himself away from Yusuke. "I'm sorry," he murmured, brushing his hands over his face and sniffling.

Yusuke handed him a kleenex, "Don't be. It's gotta be rough trying to cope on your own."

Looking at the white paper, Kurama asked, "You carry tissues?"

Yusuke held up a box that had been on the ground behind him, "Nope, stole 'em on the way up here."

For some reason that no one could explain or understand unless you were there, Kurama started giggling. Let's blame it on stress. But, he giggled and Yusuke grinned at him. Before long, giggles turned into laughter and Kurama fell to his side, holding his stomach, rolling on the hospital roof, gales of laughter falling from him. His laughter was contagious and Yusuke felt bubbles of mirth rising in his chest, even though he didn't really understand what the redhead found so funny. It was a long time before Kurama could stop, and lay panting on the roof, looking up at the stars that were visible through the haze of light pollution. Sometime while they were up here, the sun had set. "I've missed the stars and the sunset," he murmured, one hand draped on his stomach, the other bent by his head as he gazed at the night sky.

Yusuke, sitting near him, also looked up. "It's kinda pretty."

"Yeah," Kurama sighed as he watched the sky. He felt calm, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Why don't we go see how your mom's doing and then get you home. You need some rest." Yusuke moved to get up, stopping when he heard the redhead's soft voice.

"Yusuke," Kurama whispered, his eyes still on the sky.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

For some reason, this made Yusuke feel very self-conscious. "Aww, don't mention it. It's what anyone should do."

Kurama grunted, not answering as he pushed himself off the roof. "Maybe, but thank you." He turned to walk through the door, Yusuke following him, feeling things that utterly confused him, if one went by his facial expression.

When they reached the ward Kurama's mother was on, Maria greeted them, "She's stable again, sleeping. You can see her for a couple of minutes, but then you need to go home. It's past visiting hours, you know."

Kurama managed a smile at the woman. She was nice. Hospital rules said she should turn him away, but she understood he needed to see his mother. Yusuke smiled as well and followed the redhead into the room.

"Mother, I love you," Kurama whispered, bending over to kiss the woman's cheek.

"Your son has a nice laugh, ma'am. I'll be sure to hear more of it and soon, I'll make sure you hear it, too." Yusuke added, also bending over to kiss Shiori. "Sleep well," he added as he straightened up and steered Kurama out of the room.

Bet you wondering what happened next, aren't you? Is Yusuke gonna try something again with Kurama? Bet your also wondering why he was there to run into in the first place. How about I let them answer those questions? I'm sure you'd rather hear it from them rather than from me, right? Okay, here we go.

They walked for a while in silence, Yusuke's arm across Kurama's shoulder. Kurama allowed this. He was very aware of it, too. It was one of those odd feelings you get when something feels good and weird at the same time, and you're not quite sure which it's more of, good or weird. He looked over at Yusuke and happened to catch Yusuke looking at him. So, he asked, "Why were you outside my apartment building?"

Yusuke shrugged, "I'm not stalking you, if that's what you're thinking. I happen to live next door to your building." Convenient, isn't it? You'd almost think I'd planned it, wouldn't you?

"Oh," Kurama answered, turning his eyes back to follow the sidewalk. His mind shot quickly along two paths that merged and diverged, like a two dimensional drawing of DNA. You know what I mean, right? Anyways, the paths his mind took were along the good feeling line, that he had a friend who lived close by, one that knew what he was coping with, and the weird line, that he had a guy who was hitting on him living close by, one that knew what he was coping with. See…they converge. It's the friend/guy hitting on him thing that Kurama just couldn't figure out. He could cope with the friend, he liked the friend thing…it'd been a long time since he'd had a friend, really. But, to be hit on by a guy…that was just weird. It hadn't happened before. Every one at his old school figured he was straight. Remember the exchange girl who gave him his nickname? Well, they dated for awhile. And, he'd had a couple other girlfriends. Nothing really serious, but, none the less, girlfriends. He'd never even looked at other guys before. But now…well, Yusuke was…well…dare he admit it…attractive. If he'd not been so emotionally drained, he would have mentally smacked himself, if not also physically, for that thought. But for now, he let it slide.

Once more, the boys stood outside Kurama's door. Once more Yusuke stopped. "Get some sleep, okay?" he murmured, rubbing his hand along Kurama's cheek.

Kurama's head tipped into the caress, "You're not going to invite yourself in?"

Yusuke stepped a little closer, wrapping his free hand around Kurama's waist. "I told you, I want to get to know you. If I come in, you're gonna hate me. Good night, sleep well, okay?" With that, he bent in and kissed Kurama. The kiss was more than chaste, but a lot less than passionate. It was compassionate, however. It's amazing how much a difference three letters can make, isn't it? Compassion allowed Kurama to respond, seeking comfort in that kiss but not feeling threatened by it. It was good, his mind decided, not weird. Yusuke pulled back, a small smile on his lips. "Good night," he said once more and left the redhead to stare after him.

A/N Again, I'd like to thank my reviewers :D I love reviews...I do I do :D They make me happy and a happy writer is a writing writer ;) Hope you enjoyed it. See you tomorrow ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Well, now, what do we have? We have one punk who doesn't understand why he really wants to know the redhead. We have one transfer student who's confused by and attracted to the brunet. What will develop? How long do we have to wait? What will their next encounter bring? And am I going to shut up and get to it? What you do need to know is that Kurama did do as Yusuke instructed. He did get some sleep. He actually slept better than he had for some time. He woke up feeling peaceful. It's nice to wake up that way, isn't it?

And Yusuke? He didn't get much sleep. He was trying to figure things out. He was feeling things that he'd not really ever felt before. It didn't so much as bother him as it did confuse him. And, let me tell you, punks do not like being confused. Why do I tell you this? It has a bit to do with our next encounter, actually. Shall we get to it? Okay, then, let's go.

After school, track practice again. Yusuke and Hiei back under the tree. What were they doing there? Watching the track team, of course. And what else, I'm sure you're wondering. If you read carefully, I think you'll know. Am I just being coy? No, I have a purpose, and their actions aren't as important as their words. When the actions merit it, I will tell you what happens, dear reader, you can be sure of it, and in as much detail as I can. But for now, you'll have to rely on that wonderful imagination of yours; the one that supplies the students in the school, the track team, the other doctors and nurses….I'll stop and get to the point now.

Hiei sat on the jutting root today. Why? He felt like it, I suppose. Does there need to be a reason? Yusuke sat facing away from him, moving similarly to how Hiei had moved the day before, but his mind was focused on the redhead. "Y'know, Kurama's got a lot of shit going on."

Hiei figured this would come up. He just really didn't care for the timing. "How so?" he asked.

Yusuke grunted a bit, "His mom's over in ward four."

"Shit, man," Hiei managed to growl out. Ward four was the cancer ward, every one knew that. A grunt and then, "You get anywhere with him?"

"Fuck, man," Yusuke growled, "I couldn't."

"What?" exploded from Hiei's mouth.

Yusuke came to rest on the ground on his hands and knees. "I just couldn't. Shit, he's holding back some serious shit, y'know?" Isn't he just so wonderfully eloquent?

Hiei's hands massaged the other boy's back. "You're falling for him, aren't you?"

Normally, this comment would have caused Yusuke to turn on Hiei and threaten to pound him. But, all that happened was Yusuke watched the redhead as he ran and he quietly answered, "Could be…"

Hiei looked at the boy kneeling before him. There was no "could" about it, he knew. "You're falling hard, man. Always knew you were a soft touch, Yusuke." He stood, adjusting his clothes. "Catch you later," he said.

"Hey, wait," Yusuke called out, standing and adjusting his own clothes. "Didn't you say your sister said she was walking home with Kuwabara?"

"I'm following them."

"Why don't you give it a rest for a day? I want you two to meet."

Now, if Yusuke had suddenly declared, "I'm straight," and proceeded to prove it, Hiei would have been less surprised. As it was, a feather could have landed him on his ass. "You want me to meet him?"

"Well, yeah. How else are we ever gonna get to where we share?"

Okay…who else is confused? Let me tell you, Hiei is among you. He was thinking he'd have to find someone else to watch the track team with, given Yusuke's comments. Yeah, they'd joked about it yesterday, but…"Are you insane?"

"Whadda ya mean?" Captain Clueless strikes again. I did mention walking oxymoron, right? Well, our dear boy used up all his intuition last night and, well, you're reading it.

"You…you are insane. You're falling hard for Kurama and you still want to plan a threesome?"

"What's sex got to do with falling for someone?" And, here, good reader, is why some people just don't get the emotional impact that others have during sex. But, then…we'll leave it at that for now.

Unable to think of an argument, for obvious reasons…or maybe not so obvious, does it matter, the point is, Hiei couldn't come up with an argument. "Fine, I'll meet him."

Yusuke smiled. Y'know, for a punk, he's not really much of a punk. Smiles, cheerfulness, queerness don't really add up to "bad ass punk," do they? They walked across the field as the teams ran their final laps and did their cool down stretches. Whit a casual disregard for rules, about the only truly "punkish" quality our Yusuke can claim, the two walked over to the redhead. Yusuke squatted next to Kurama and ran his fingers through the sweat drenched locks, "Sleep well?"

"Don't do that!" Kurama growled out, continuing his stretch, not swatting the hand away. I bet your wondering why I said that. Well, let's describe Kurama's present position and you'll understand. The redhead was seated, one leg strait out in front of him, the other bent, its foot resting against his thigh. Both hands were wrapped around the foot of the extended leg, his forehead to his knee. Not really in a position to smack someone away.

"Aww, don't be that way. I brought someone for you to meet." Thought he was going to say something about how they'd been through so much, didn't you? Remember, Yusuke, punk, yes, idiot, no. Keep that in mind. Truth be told, Kurama was expecting the same thing you were, too. Surprised, he turned his head to the side, resting his cheek against his knee. "This is Hiei," Yusuke gestured to the other boy.

Kurama wiggled his fingers at Hiei as he switched the position of his legs, "Nice to meet you."

Hiei grunted in acknowledgement. "What's your time on the hundred?"

Kurama turned his face back to his knee, "Eight nine three." Yes, our Kurama runs 100 meters in 8.93 seconds. Pretty impressive, isn't it? Trust me, it's really impressive.

"Nice," Hiei answered. "I only got down to nine oh one."

Kurama turned his head and smiled, "That's where I was end of last year."

Hiei grunted. Kurama stretched both legs out in front of him and pulled once more, groaning slightly as he felt the pull in his calves and hamstrings. Do I need to say Yusuke liked the sound? Hiei did too. Kurama, had he known they'd like the groan, would have stifled it, or skipped the last stretch. As it was he just missed the expression that passed between the other two boys. He was busy shaking out his legs…an action the other two enjoyed as well.

The coach, it should be noted, had seen the two walk over. But, like many of the other teachers, he was afraid of Yusuke's mother's connections. So, he ignored them, even though he would have yelled ferociously at any other mere civilian, or traitor, that walked onto his track. Kuwabara noticed, too. He was torn. Walk home with Yukina, pound Urameshi, both tempting prospects. When he saw Kurama wave, and then smile, walking with Yukina won out.

Let's get back to our trio. Hiei asked a question, which I'm sure many of you may wonder about. "How'd you shave so much time?"

Kurama laughed…well, almost. "I cheated," he answered. After sitting up and leaning back on his hands, he continued, "I grew almost six inches over the summer. Longer legs, longer stride, faster time."

Here, my dear readers, we have a dilemma. Is Kurama flirting? Ask Yusuke or Hiei, and the answer would be "yes"…most resoundingly. Look at him, they'd argue, leaning back, his legs out before him, his eyes sparkling, skin glowing from practice. He looked good enough to eat…anyway you want to use that word. Ask Kurama, and he'll tell you he's just being friendly to someone who had a common interest and another person who'd become a strange type of friend. See our dilemma. Remember it, it comes up later.

Yusuke shook himself a bit. "Hey, after we go see your mom, you wanna get something to eat?

Another dilemma. Kurama knew Yusuke would try something. That was a given. But, it felt good to have a friend, too. Someone who understood. Yusuke had shown that either he understood, or he was better at controlling himself than Kurama gave him credit for. Wanna know the truth, my dear readers? I can't say. Again, I'm not being coy, but Yusuke himself couldn't tell you, and if he doesn't know, how am I supposed to?

Our redhead stood, the coach having called the team in. "I'll think about it," he answered, hoping the time in the locker room would give him time to sort out the now confused thoughts swarming through his head. We're back to the friend/guy hitting on him quandary.

In the locker room, Kuwabara came up to Kurama. "Ya gonna be okay with those two?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Kuwabara," Kurama answered carefully. Remember, Kuwabara equals too friendly guy in Kurama's head.

Kuwabara smiled, "That's good. Remember, if you need help, just ask, okay?"

"Thanks," Kurama repeated, pointedly turning back to his locker and pulling stuff out of it. Kuwabara left, not that he'd gotten the hint, but that he wanted to meet Yukina and walk her home.

Let's give Kurama a bit of privacy while he showers and rejoin the other two, waiting in the hall. By now, the entire track team knew who Yusuke and Hiei were there fore, so they passed quickly. Well, except for Kuwabara, who paused to glare and posture at Hiei. Hiei looked bored as he dead-eyed Kuwabara. It's a whole lot more unnerving to not get a response out of someone, isn't it? So, unnerved, Kuwabara left.

Kurama was the last one out of the locker room. He still really hadn't reached a decision about dinner. He knew that he didn't have a choice about company to the hospital. So, he did what we all do when faced with ambivalence. He put off making a decision, telling himself he'd decide after he saw his mother. More ambivalence rose. He wanted to see her. He loved his mother very much, but he hated the thought of that tube in her throat. This decision was a forgone conclusion. He would go see his mother. Actually, to him, it wasn't even a decision to be made. Love does that to you, y'know. Remember that, too, my dear readers. Love makes some painful decisions for you without your express consent.

I'm sure you're ready to move on from the philosophy, aren't you? Well, let's rejoin our boys as Kurama is coming out of the locker room.

"You almost take longer than a girl," Yusuke muttered.

"Actually, the girls have all left," Hiei helpfully pointed out in a dry voice.

"If you're coming, lay off," Kurama growled out, walking away from the comedy duo.

Hiei and Yusuke moved to catch up, Yusuke flanked by Kurama and Hiei when they did. Thinking this an opportune time, Yusuke flung his arms over both the others, ignoring that they both stiffened under his touch. 'Both?' I know you're wondering. Yes, both, and here's why: Hiei and Yusuke don't have a touchy relationship. Yes, they touch, but they're not touchy. Make sense? Hope so, 'cause if I explain much more, they'll continue on without me, and I'm sure you don't want that. So, Yusuke had his arms draped over Kurama's and Hiei's shoulders. Kurama didn't really feel that he could say anything since Hiei was receiving the same treatment. Hiei didn't say anything because he knew what it was…an excuse to touch the redhead.

A/N: I looked up track records after I wrote the chapter above. Our boys are really fast. I googled "high school track records 100 meter dash" and Ohio was the first state to come up. The lowest time there was 10.48 seconds. I changed "high school" to "Olympic" and the world record is 9.84, set in 1996 by Devon Baily. I thought about changing their times, but my muse wouldn't let me and happy muses mean I write more...I'm sure you'd rather that. I love the reviews :D Keep 'em coming, they make my muse happy too.


	5. Chapter 5

So, we're back at the hospital. Maria is on duty again. This hospital works three 8 hour shifts, just in case you were wondering how she could be on duty last night and now. "Shuichi," she called when she saw the redhead.

Reluctantly, Kurama stopped. Yusuke did not let go however. He'd seen what his mother looked like last night, and if the nurse was stopping him before he went in, it couldn't be good. Kurama asked, "Yes?"

Maria took a deep breath. She was actually glad to see Yusuke again, and the other boy, Hiei, even though she didn't know their names. She was glad Shuichi had friends, support. What she had to say wasn't easy on her, either. "Your mother is off the ventilator, but she is still having trouble breathing. She's on oxygen. I know that sounds good, but I want you to keep in mind that it doesn't guarantee anything. We're doing every thing we can. They ran some more tests today and we're waiting on the results. She's resting, so your visit can't be too long, okay?"

Kurama swallowed hard, trying to accept and deny Maria's words. He felt Yusuke's arm tighten around his shoulder. His mind, unwilling to deal with anymore conflict at the moment, labeled the gesture "friendly" and allowed him to accept it. Hope you have the friendly/flirting dilemma still in your mind. Okay…then you'll know what Yusuke is thinking. Anyways, back to the action. Kurama nodded, "I understand." He moved to his mother's room, Yusuke still attached to him and Hiei still attached to Yusuke. It was a challenge getting through the door, but they did it.

Shiori looked over at the noise and managed to smile. Her nose and mouth were covered by a clear plastic mask that had lovely green elastic attaching it to her head and a tube attaching her to the wall. But, at least it wasn't the tube down her throat. Kurama moved quickly to his mother's side, Yusuke letting him go, knowing the redhead needed to be with his mother for a few minutes. Shiori opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but Kurama stopped her, "Don't talk, Mother. You're supposed to be resting. I love you." He reached out and grabbed her hand where it lay on the white blankets. She did manage to squeeze his fingers and he smiled at her, "I know you love me too."

Yusuke walked over, his arm still draped over Hiei's shoulder. Hiei, by the bye, was feeling a bit uncomfortable, actually, but that's totally understandable. Here is he, drug along into some stranger's hospital room. He didn't like hospitals in the first place, I mean, who does, really? He was also a little surprised Yusuke hadn't let him go yet. Yusuke was oblivious to this, however, as he smiled at Kurama's mother. "I'm glad you're looking better this morning, ma'am."

Shiori managed to wrinkle her nose as Kurama pointed out, "It's afternoon."

"I know, but if she were feeling better, she would have laughed," Yusuke answered, smiling at Kurama as Shiori squeezed his fingers.

The redhead looked at his mother, who nodded slightly and he relaxed a bit and smiled at her. "We ran longer distances today, mother. I ran my best 1600 so far. I'm down to three fifty-nine nine, now." Yusuke let out a low appreciative whistle and Hiei's eyebrows went up. His best time at the 1600 meter was four minutes, one point nine seconds. He regretted quitting track. It'd have been fun to compete with Kurama to see who would ultimately be faster. Are you wondering what Shiori's records were? She ran the 100 meter in ten seconds, flat and the 400 meter in 50 seconds. She had been scouted for the Olympics, but love derailed that plan before it even started. She married not long out of high school and never regretted it. She knew scouts were looking at her son, too. She hoped whatever he decided, he would be happy.

Something else you should know. Shiori knew Yusuke was gay and attracted to her son. She's observant like that, even as sick as she is. She also knew her son didn't know what to think. Did it bother her that her precious baby boy was the object of lust of a gay punk? No, but mostly because she liked Yusuke. He talked to her like she was healthy and seemed to be genuinely caring. Do we dissuade her of this? No, but mostly because she may not be wrong.

There was a small motion at the door that caught Yusuke's ear. Maria was standing there, waiting for them to leave, looking uncomfortable with the idea, too. Yusuke caught the hint, and, putting a hand on Kurama's shoulder, "It's time we went. I'm sorry we can't stay longer, but I'm dragging your son out to eat. Take care of yourself, okay, ma'am?"

Remember what I said about decisions made by default. If you put off a decision too long, someone else will make it for you. Kurama was now stuck going out to dinner with Yusuke and Hiei. It dawned on him that no one had introduced Hiei, so he did so as he stood, "Mother, this is Hiei. He's Yusuke's friend and used to run track. He'd give me a run for my money if he was still on the team, too." There was a tinge of regret in Kurama's voice when he said that. Shiori squeezed his fingers understandingly and smiled again as he bent to kiss her, "I love you."

Yusuke released Kurama and Hiei so that he could bend over and whisper to Shiori, "I'll take care of him. I promised you that and I meant it." He kissed the woman on her cheek and turned to join the other two.

Awkwardly, Hiei added, "It's nice to meet you." Shiori smiled and wiggled her fingers at the three boys before they turned to leave.

We're going to stay with Shiori a minute longer before we follow the boys to dinner. You're wondering about her health. Is she going to make a wonderful recovery? That would be fantastic, wouldn't it? If I knew at this minute, I'd tell you, but that's not why we're staying with her. As I said before, she is very observant. She saw that Yusuke and Hiei were more than friends. She also saw that Hiei was also attracted to her son. A mother always sees this, you know. Did this bother her? Not so much bother as baffle. She didn't care if her son went for guys as long as he was happy, but she also saw that he was a bit…oblivious of how the other two felt, and how he felt, too. She knew her son was beginning to care for Yusuke. She just hoped that Shuichi wouldn't push them away with his obliviousness. She knew he'd need the support, and it seemed to her that Yusuke would be a good support.

We're done with morbidity for the moment. Our boys have arrived at the restaurant owned by one of Yusuke's mother's friends. In other words, free food. Connections are such a good thing, aren't they? It was a small Italian style diner with tiny horseshoe shaped benches around tables that were just bigger than a bistro set, really designed for two people very much in love to eat at. Well, our three boys sat at one of these, Kurama in the middle. There was no way to avoid legs pressing against each other, hips touching, arms brushing against each other. No way to avoid such friendly contact. Nice, isn't it? Depends on who you ask. Kurama was feeling a bit crowded, but, again, manners kept his mouth closed. Yusuke and Hiei were quite happy with the arrangement. Especially Yusuke. Remember the flirting/friendly thing. Yusuke believed that Kurama was responding to him, so, he was a bit happy, and a bit confident. Friendly/flirting contact was kept to a minimum while they looked at the menus, suspiciously free of prices. They were special menus, designed for those with connections. But, the lack of prices and the atmosphere of the place made Kurama nervous. Have you ever heard, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it"?

"Order whatever you want," Yusuke said when he noticed Kurama shift for the umpteenth time. Small booth makes it impossible to miss nervous motion.

"I don't want to be a burden," Kurama murmured, his cheeks going pink.

Yusuke's arm went over the back of the bench, right over Kurama's shoulders. "You'd never be a burden," he countered when Kurama looked at him. Oh, how Yusuke wanted to kiss Kurama. He looked utterly kissable, too. His eyes a little wide in confusion, his lips slightly parted so his lower lip looked a bit pouty, the pink on his cheeks. Utterly kissable. So, he did, very lightly. He can exercise some restraint when the situation calls for it.

Kurama felt an odd twinge in his stomach as he looked again at his menu. Now, he's slapped Yusuke for kissing him, and he's accepted it, too. So, how did he react now? He blushed more and muttered, "Don't do that."

I have not forgotten Hiei on the other side of Kurama. He was quite simply shocked. He figured Yusuke was falling for the redhead. What surprised him was how far Yusuke had fallen already. He was surprised he hadn't heard a crash with as hard as Yusuke had fallen. He was more in love with Kurama than Kuwabara was with Yukina, and that's saying something. Hiei also knew that Yusuke didn't know how hard he'd fallen, yet. He placed a hand on Kurama's thigh, and when the redhead looked over at him, he felt something tighten in his lower abdomen. Again with the utterly sexy confused redhead…it's amazing what a blush will do to someone's appearance, isn't it? "A friend of Yusuke's family owns the restaurant, so they don't charge us. Order what you want."

Kurama brought his lower lip between his teeth and nodded. I don't think he was quite aware of the effect he was having on the other two, do you? Seeing that pink lip trapped between white teeth made Hiei want to pull it between his own teeth. But, having more self-control that Yusuke, he merely squeezed Kurama's thigh between his fingers.

The waiter returned with drinks. Our trio didn't order anything to drink, for matter of record. So, what were they brought? House special, vino. Wine, red. Now, I know, you're going to protest, 'They're high school students!' and I know this, but, again, you need to remember organized crime connections. Yusuke raised his glass, Hiei following suit. Both looked at Kurama, waiting for him, so he, too, raised his glass. "To new beginnings and happy endings," Yusuke intoned before he brought the glass to his lips. Hiei silently lifted his glass before bringing it to his mouth, sipping as well. Kurama, never having partaken of the custom or the drink, mimicked Hiei, figuring that to be the correct response. The drink reminded him of vinegar and he was hard pressed not to choke or make a face at the taste.

He was about to set his glass down when Hiei raised his again, Yusuke following suit. "Life, laughter, lust," Hiei solemnly quoted. All three sipped again, Kurama finding the taste more palatable

Yusuke and Hiei kept their glasses raised and looked at Kurama expectantly. Nervously, the redhead cleared his throat, "Good food, good company." The third sip was almost decent. Yusuke and Hiei seemed satisfied with what he'd said, so Kurama began to relax.

When the wiater returned for their orders, the redhead still hadn't decided what he wanted. "Trust me to order for you?" Yusuke asked. He took Kurama's shrug as assent and turned to the waiter, "I'll have the antipasto salad. He'll have angel hair with alfredo and he'll have rototini with meat sauce." Yes, Yusuke just ordered for all three of them. Hiei always got the same thing, and since he was ordering for Kurama, Yusuke just continued. The waiter removed their menus and returned shortly with breadsticks and a towel wrapped bottle. After setting down the basket, he refilled their drinks and left the bottle on the table.

Remember that detail I promised you? Get a picture of breadsticks in your mind. Not the skinny crunch ones. The plump, fat, round ones, soft on the inside, steaming slightly, a touch of garlic and parmesan on the lightly golden crust. Hungry yet? Hold on, it gets better. All three boys reached for a roll, their fingers brushing against each other's in the process. Kurama was about to bite off the end f his when what Yusuke was doing caught his eye, causing him to turn his head and absently lay the breadstick against his lower lip. Wide eyed, the redhead watched as Yusuke held his gaze, his tongue licking the end of the roll, swirling around it as he opened his mouth and slowly, ever so slowly, slid the oblong roll into his mouth, wrapping his lips around it, drawing it back out, and back in, moaning slightly. Flustered, Kurama dropped his own breadstick as he looked down at the table.

Seeking something to distract him, he grabbed his glass and took a large swallow. Not the best of ideas. He choked. Well, choking makes a good distraction, to be sure, but there are better distractions. He could have looked at Hiei. Well, that may not have been a good idea, either. He was bound to copy Yusuke's actions. Actually, he was. Why? He was hoping the redhead would look at him. Both Yusuke and Hiei dropped their bread when Kurama started choking and the waiter appeared with a glass of water. Hiei wrapped his arm around Kurama and lifted the water to his mouth. Yusuke brushed Kurama's hair out of his face as his other arm tightened around the redhead's shoulders. "Sip some water, Kurama," Yusuke ordered, his voice full of concern.

Kurama managed to obey, mildly irritated when Hiei refused to let him hold the glass. He got his coughing under control and the water helped put out the inferno in his troat. He was prepared to yell at Yusuke for playing with is food when the brunet did something that made that simply not possible. Bet you're wondering…and wishing I'd just tell you.

Yusuke brushed Kurama's hair back again and gave him a look that would have touched the most hardened soul and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, are you okay?" Now, Kurama could feel something tighten between his chest and his throat. He didn't trust himself to speak so he nodded. Yusuke stroked his flushed cheek and whispered, "I'm glad." He then bent in and stole a kiss from the silent boy. It was a nice kiss, gentle, full on the lips with just enough pressure to express relief. See, as I said, Yusuke stole any chance for Kurama to yell at him, and very neatly.

When Yusuke pulled back, Kurama looked at the table and murmured, "Quit kissing me." Actually, mumbled would be a better word. Yusuke and Hiei heard something about "kakissamee"…where ever and what ever that is.

Now, we haven't forgotten Hiei on the other side of Kurama, right? Remember how I said he and Yusuke didn't have a touchy relationship? Kissing is touchy. Oddly enough, Hiei wanted to be kissed just then. Okay, now you're wondering. Yusuke's been kissing Kurama every chance he gets and quite expressively, so why didn't he and Hiei kiss? The answer's simple, Hiei didn't want it. Explains why it was so odd that he wanted a kiss just then. You should also know that Hiei doesn't believe in denying himself what he wants. And, since Yusuke was planning on convincing the redhead to be with both of them, Hiei reached over and cupped Kurama's cheek, turning his head and brought their lips together a little awkwardly. Well, inexperience plus not quite willing is going to add up to awkward.

Kurama's hair is bright red. His cheeks were now the same color. Actually, his whole face was that color. He pulled away from Hiei. "Why did you do that?" he demanded.

Briefly, before Hiei answers, let's take a look at Yusuke. If jaws made a sound when they dropped, it would have been heard when Hiei's lips touched Kurama's. Don't get me wrong. He wasn't jealous or angry. He was shocked. Remember, Hiei kept their relationship non-touchy. And Hiei just kissed Kurama. Okay, now you can understand how Yusuke felt.

Back to Hiei's answer. He shrugged, "Dunno, felt like it."

Remember that feather we talked about a long time ago, while we were under the tree with Yusuke and Hiei the second time? Yeah, that one, only with Yusuke this time. Good thing he was sitting down, wasn't it?

Kurama made a move to stand up. He couldn't handle anymore too-friendly guys. Were all the guys at the school gay? No, not all at the school, just in case you're wondering. And not even all the ones we've met. Kuwabara isn't. But, I digress. Kurama made a move to stand and was about to demand that he be let out when the food arrived. Remember how wonderful school lunches are? Add that to track practice and a touch of alcohol. The smell of food was a kick in the stomach that had Kurama sitting down again as he swallowed a couple of times to clear his mouth. No matter what his mind said, his body wasn't going to cooperate until it'd had its fill.

While they were eating, that's all that happened, really. Yusuke and Hiei insisted that everyone try everyone else's food. They managed to eat without being perverted about it. Remember the bottle left on the table? It did its part to make things flow well. Kurama smiled at Yusuke and Hiei and felt more relaxed as the meal progressed. By the time the food had been eaten, the bottle was empty and Kurama was feeling a bit light headed. It should be noted that more of the bottle had been poured into Kurama's glass, so our redhead was definitely feeling it. He was weaving slightly in his seat.

Yusuke looked over, seeing the bleary eyes…now, before you go and blame him for Kurama's state, I should tell you that neither he nor Hiei had intended to get Kurama drunk. They both had refilled his glass, not paying attention to what the other did. So Kurama being drunk was an accident. Anyways, Yusuke looked over and saw Kurama's bleary eyes, he said, "Why don't we get you home?"

"Why? So you can fuck me?" Kurama slurred. Drunk people, no matter how intelligent they normally are, are dumb and tactless.

"Much as I'd like to, no."

Kurama blinked in surprise. One blink must not have been enough to convey his surprise, though, because he blinked again. "Why not?" You'd almost think he was disappointed.

Yusuke looked a bit uncomfortable. His mouth worked a moment before he answered. "I told you. I want to get to know you."

Kurama's head swiveled on his neck, almost like one of those bobble head dolls, to focus on Hiei. "What about you?"

Hiei sniffed. "I don't take advantage of drunks," he replied. Between you and me, that was a lie…or had been up until just then.

Kurama's head came back to center and he stared at his plate a moment. "Okay," he murmured, "I'm ready to go home."

Yusuke stood up and actually stepped aside to give Kurama room to get up, only, well, Kurama's feet weren't staying under his body very well. Not wanting the redhead to fall, Yusuke wrapped an arm around his waist. Kurama patted his chest, "I'm okay. I can walk." He tried to push away and almost hit the table. Hiei stepped next to Kurama on the other side and wrapped his arm around the redhead as well. "Really," Kurama insisted, "I'm okay."

"But, I want to hold you," Yusuke said, hoping the redhead would respond favorably. Kurama was really in no state to try and walk on his own.

Green eyes tried to meet brown, "Really?"

"Yeah."

Green eyes turned to meet ones that looked red, "You too?"

"Yeah," Hiei answered.

Kurama seemed to be trying to think. "Okay…I guess so." He stopped trying to get away and actually wrapped his arms around the other two.

Carefully, the three made their way out of the restaurant. Well, two were careful and one was along for the ride. They managed to make it to Kurama's apartment without incident, though. Here, trouble began. And you thought there were problems over dinner.

Kurama was almost asleep on his feet and couldn't stand without support, so between Yusuke and Hiei, they managed to find his keys and keep him upright. Hiei unlocked the door and Yusuke was going to simply kiss the redhead good night and leave it at that. Really, that's all he intended to do. Kurama, however, wasn't stable enough to walk in his door much less to his room. And his words didn't help either. "Take me to bed, Yusuke. You too, Hiei." He looked over at Yusuke, his eyes not focusing on him, and said, "Aren't you gonna kiss me?"

Are you scratching your head, or cheering for Yusuke to go for it…take advantage of the begging drunk redhead? Remember, Yusuke, punk, yes, idiot, no…noble, not so noble. That reestablished, let's move on. Yusuke knew the redhead was pretty nearly out, so he said, "Why don't we get you inside and then I'll let you know, okay?"

"What are you going to do to me?" Kurama asked blearily as he let himself be led inside. Hiei closed the door behind them and watched Yusuke for signs of what they were going to do.

Oh, the dilemma Yusuke faced. He so wanted to take advantage of the redhead there and then. It would be so easy. So very easy. But, he couldn't. "I'm not going to do anything to you, Kurama. We're going to put you to bed."

"I don' wanna go to sleep," Kurama whined.

"What do you want to do?" Yusuke had a hard time keeping the whine out of his voice. There was only so long he could be noble and not an idiot, after all. He'd had some wine as well and wasn't exactly thinking as clearly as he could have been.

"Stay with me," Kurama murmured, his head coming to rest on Yusuke's shoulder. With his hand, he reached out for Hiei and pulled the other boy in, holding both tightly. "I get so lonely, please, stay with me," he begged.

Yusuke felt as if he could hardly breathe, and it had nothing to do with Kurama hanging onto him. Hiei felt nearly the same way. Both of them were on totally unfamiliar ground here.

"Please…" Kurama begged again.

Yusuke ran his hand along the red locks, "Okay, we'll stay, but you have to go to bed and sleep, okay?"

"You will?" Kurama asked, his head coming up and looking at Hiei.

"Yes," the red eyed boy answered.

Kurama smiled drunkenly. "Good, I'm so glad," he muttered as his head came down onto Yusuke's shoulder again. Before it touched, he was asleep on his feet.

Hiei and Yusuke made eye contact over the back of the redhead. Silently, Hiei stepped back and Yusuke swept Kurama into his arms. The redhead mumbled something and wrapped his arms firmly around Yusuke's neck. It was a good thing there were only two doors in the apartment. One to the bathroom, and one to the bedroom. Gently, Yusuke put Kurama down on the full sized bed, and Hiei pulled off his shoes. They both stood awhile and watched Kurama sleep. Yusuke bent down and kissed Kurama, his hand caressing the smooth cheek as his lips lingered on Kurama's. Hiei mimicked the action and both boys left the room, pulling the door shut behind them.

A/N Well...did you enjoy it? Want breadsticks now? Just so everyone's clear, I do not advocate underage drinking. Okay...a couple more comments, to address things in reviews: Yes, my muse is happy...reviews are wonderful things...Yes, daily updates will continue as far as I know...I'm starting chapter 8 when I finish posting (And I really did only start this on Thursday)...and the next chapter has been editied so it could be posted here. The full version can be found at aff...my profile page is listed as my home page. So far, however, they've been identical except my author notes. (provided aff cooperates and lets me post...I've been having issues with it so far this morning and yesterday).


	6. Chapter 6

We've established that Yusuke and Hiei are friends with benefits. Well, there are ways those benefits could be used that they hadn't been used before. But, they were about to be used that way. Would you like me to shut up and get to the point? Okay, okay….here we go.

Yusuke and Hiei stood in the living room, feeling a little awkward. This was new to both of them. They'd never felt awkward in the other's presence before. Why now? Because they were both feeling things they'd never felt in the other's presence before. That redhead has a pretty powerful effect on our two. Sorry, sorry….I'll keep my comments to a minimum…Hiei's about to speak, let's eavesdrop, shall we?

"What is it like?" he asked.

Yusuke blinked, nonplused. "What is what like?"

Hiei shifted a little uncomfortably, "Making love?" Now, our boys have had sex….okay, I'll shut up!

Yusuke took this as an invitation, which is the way Hiei meant it. He stepped forward and brought his hand up to caress the other's cheek, "It's kinda nice." He bent in and kissed Hiei tenderly, still giving the boy a chance to change his mind.

Hiei had no intention of changing his mind, though. He wrapped his arms around Yusuke and returned the kiss as well as he could. Yusuke moaned a little and wrapped his arms around Hiei, pulling the other boy in closer. Hiei moaned as well. He was feeling very good at the moment. Though, he was a little surprised when Yusuke's tongue came out to lick against his lips. He pulled back, "What's that?"

Yusuke pulled back, a little irritated, "Do you want me to make love to you or are you gonna challenge everything I do?"

"Okay," Hiei mumbled, tipping his head back to look Yusuke in the eye, "but don't do anything stupid."

"I won't," Yusuke returned waspishly. He glared at the boy in his arms a moment.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?"

Rather than verbally answer, Yusuke bent to Hiei, who moved to assist him, and kissed him with more passion than before. This time, when his tongue came out, Hiei allowed the contact to continue. It felt a bit odd, actually. The whole kissing thing felt odd to Hiei. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but he wanted to know. The why is important, so forgive me while I interrupt, but he wanted to know because he was starting to fall for Kurama himself. Had he fallen for Yusuke? That's a lot more complicated and the answer isn't as important to this story…at least not yet.

Yusuke pulled back a little, running his tongue along the seam between Hiei's lips before pressing firmly and bringing his lips back to kissing Hiei. Confused, Hiei opened his mouth, allowing Yusuke's tongue in. This felt really weird, too. But, at the same time, Hiei could feel a very familiar weight growing in his lower abdomen. His body labeled what Yusuke was doing as feeling good, so his mind accepted that. It felt good, in a weird way, to have Yusuke's tongue in his mouth. When Yusuke's tongue slipped beneath his own, his body suggested his mind shut up and let it work. Meekly, his mind retreated to a corner and quietly observed. His body was a little insistent.

Yusuke could feel Hiei's arousal growing against his body. It surprised him a little that the other was so responsive. It was Hiei who'd told him that he didn't want to be kissed, and now, he was responding so…well to the gesture. Yusuke felt Hiei moan more than he heard it when his tongue slid under the other's. It was a nice feeling. He could feel it all the way down his body and into his cock. Hiei could feel the resulting growth and moaned again, which encouraged more growth. This actually encouraged Hiei to develop as well, which brought a moan from Yusuke's throat.

Not really satisfied with Hiei's mouth…not that it wasn't good, just that he hadn't had enough of it yet, Yusuke began to kiss the other's cheek, leaving a sloppy trail from his mouth to his ear. Hiei was a little confused, but his body said it was good so his mind stayed in its little corner. When Yusuke's lips wrapped around his earlobe, Hiei gasped a little. And when teeth came in contact with that fleshy bit of skin, he moaned. He didn't know his ears were so sensitive. Actually, he really didn't know where he was sensitive at all. But, Yusuke was in the frame of mind to show him.

Slowly, Yusuke left another sloppy trail of kisses down Hiei's throat, paying attention to the sounds that rose from the throat. He liked the feel of moaning against his lips so he tended to kiss around the voice box a lot. It helps that people are sensitive in this area, too. More moans, more kissing, more happiness all around. Right…I said I would shut up. Yusuke was enjoying himself immensely. He'd wanted to do this to Hiei for a while. Not for any emotional reasons, really, but because he liked it. He liked bringing as much pleasure to his partner as possible. And, now he had his chance. He was a very happy boy at the moment.

Hiei could feel Yusuke's hands working, pulling up the hem of his shirt, and he copied the action, letting his hands slide under the tee shirt and caress Yusuke's back the same way Yusuke was caressing his. He was surprised at how much he loved the feeling of skin sliding under his hands. He was also a little irritated that he'd denied himself this for so long. If he'd known he'd like it so much, he would have done it a lot earlier. And they were still just getting started.

Yusuke stepped back a little, almost smirking at the disappointed noise Hiei made, and pushed up the tee Hiei was wearing, tossing it to the side when he managed to convince Hiei to let go of him and could get the shirt off, that is. Hiei was very much enjoying the feel of Yusuke's skin under his hands and didn't let go quite as readily as Yusuke would have preferred. But, once his shirt was off, he figured it out very quickly and pulled Yusuke's shirt off, tossing it aside, as well. Yusuke was a little surprised when Hiei was the one to restart their contact, wrapping his arms around Yusuke's now bare torso and pulling their bodies together. He could feel the vibrations travel along the other boy's chest as Hiei moaned at the feel of their skin meeting. Slowly, Yusuke guided Hiei down to the floor, caressing his body and running his hands through his hair as he did. Again, Hiei mimicked the actions at first and then added his own little twists. He raked his fingernails lightly along Yusuke's spine, drawing a shiver of appreciation from the other. He liked that feeling so he started drawing patterns over Yusuke's back with his nails. Yusuke moaned and brought his lips to Hiei's throat as he laid the other boy on the ground.

Ever so slowly, Yusuke mapped Hiei's neck with his lips and tongue. He enjoyed Hiei scratching his back, even when his fingers tightened and dug in a bit as Yusuke found a sensitive place. He also liked that his friend was panting under him and moaning so freely. It fueled his desire to make Hiei regret not letting him do this earlier by thoroughly blowing his mind. Nice revenge, isn't it? Slowly, Yusuke's lips finally found the hollow that marked the end of Hiei's throat and his tongue came out to languidly sample the skin there, knowing it to be sensitive as well. Hiei moaned and arched into the touch, pushing his head back against the floor. Yusuke smiled and began to trace the line of his chest bone, following it downward to its tip before coming back up and kissing Hiei fully on the mouth. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked cheekily.

"Unnn…" was all Hiei could manage to answer. Keep in mind the conversations under the tree…well….there wasn't going to be conversation tonight.

Oddly, though Yusuke smirked, he didn't really feel it. He was beginning to feel a twinge of something that he'd never experienced before and he wasn't sure what it was, but looking at Hiei so openly vulnerable and enjoying himself did something to him. But, we, like he, will explore that more later. For now, it's enough to know it was there. Yusuke kissed Hiei again deeply, his tongue slipping into Hiei's mouth, which willingly opened for him. Hiei even went so far as to welcome Yusuke's tongue with his own, causing Yusuke to moan. Reluctantly, Yusuke pulled back, panting over Hiei a moment before he moved back down to the other boy's chest. There, he held himself over the boy and used his hands to lightly caress the smooth skin, brushing it from the breastbone outwards lightly. His fingers then tweaked the hardened nipples lightly. A shock raced through Hiei's body, causing him to gasp and buck his hips. Quickly, Yusuke replaced one of his hands with his mouth and Hiei cried out in pleasure as his hips moved, seeking some type of contact. Yusuke drug the hand that had been replaced over Hiei's abdomen, enjoying that the other boy still had a runner's physique, thinly built, no spare flesh, hard muscles. Truth be told, Hiei still ran…but that's beside the point. The point is, Yusuke liked what he felt as his hand slid over Hiei's abdomen. He began working the fastenings of the boy's pants while his mouth worked his nipple, sucking it and nibbling while his tongue teased and danced with it. Hiei moaned loudly, he felt so good. His hands left Yusuke's back and came to tangle in the boy's hair, holding his head to his chest as he arched into that talented mouth.

Well, let's just say our boys enjoyed each other thoroughly. What you do need to know is that strange feeling Yusuke's been having. Well, it gets stronger, a lot stronger as he did things to Hiei that Hiei hadn't allowed before. Hiei also started feeling things that he hadn't felt before. They both completely enjoyed themselves, you can be sure of that.

Both boys fell limply to the floor, their kiss broken, Yusuke's forehead resting on the floor. They were panting hard, their minds whirling. Neither really knew what to think, or to say. Sex was one thing, but this had been something completely different. When their breathing was under control again, Yusuke moved, sliding out of Hiei's body. They lay next to each other for a few minutes, just looking at each other, before a cry from the bedroom broke the mood. Both scrambled for their pants, pulling them on quickly, as the dashed to the door.

"Yusuke! Hiei!" Kurama cried out. Yes, he called for both of them. His eyes were wide, his face whiter than normal, as he searched the dark for any source of comfort. He sobbed and held out his arms when the two tumbled through the door. The two exchanged a glance and moved quickly across the room. Kurama held them both fiercely as his body shook and tears fell down his face. Now, I know Kurama is coming across as very weepy, but there's a reason. Let's go through a brief timeline before we get back to the action. It was now late March. Kurama's mother started feeling sick in August, right about the time school started. She spent Kurama's birthday getting tests done. They had had something special planned, but it'd fallen through. It was his 16th birthday, and they were going to have a lot of fun, but they couldn't. They'd both actually forgotten about it. Christmas and New Years had been spent in the hospital. They, too, had been pretty much forgotten, only the cards that stuffed the mail box reminding either of them of the season. Shiori had tried to convince Kurama to celebrate, but he wouldn't leave her side. In early February, they'd begun the process of transferring Shiori to this hospital. All through this, Kurama had kept his grades high, visited Shiori every day, and hadn't cried. Not a tear. Not until he met Yusuke, so he's got a lot of built up stress. So, I know it seems that he's weak and weepy, but he's not. He's also very lonely. He's had no one else around to help him, too. Yeah, there was Shiori's boss, Mr. Hatakama, but Kurama felt nervous around him, even though he made his mother very happy. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, Mr. Hatakama, just that Kurama had never had to share his mother before. There really wasn't much of family either. Shiori had been an only child and her husband's parents had passed away not long after he had. Shiori's parents lived a ways away, and Kurama refused to go live with them, though he loved them very much, wanting to stay near his mother. So, we have a very lonely boy with a lot of pent up emotion. And he needed to know he wasn't alone. Back to the action.

Kurama clung to Yusuke and Hiei desperately, as if he'd fall apart or drown without them, as he sobbed into their shoulders. The other two struggled to move so they could sit on the bed, held onto the redhead and stroked his back. "What's wrong, Kurama?" Yusuke asked, his voice more gentle than Hiei'd ever heard it.

"I'm afraid. I don't want to loose her." His voice trailed off in sobs. "I'm so lonely. What will I do without her?"

Two sets of arms tightened around the redhead and two voices declared haltingly, "I won't leave you." If either was surprised that the other had said such words, now was definitely not the time to show it. Truth be told, neither was. They both knew the other was falling for the redhead. They would also be sure the other would keep that promise.

This also seemed to be what Kurama needed to hear. He accepted the words and pulled the two down onto the bed, still sobbing, but his sobs were fading as his body relaxed, except for the strangle hold he kept on the two. Finally, he drifted back to sleep, his arms only then loosening around Hiei and Yusuke. The two exchanged a glance over the softly breathing chest below them and without a word, they pulled the blanket over them and fell asleep with the redhead between them.

A/N Sorry, loves, it had to be edited to post here. I don't want it taken down, and I'm sure you don't either. As I said, it's on my "homepage" and I will warn you now, it's NC-17, so if you go and look at it, I am not responsible for what you find there... And it makes me happy to know that I've corrupted breadsticks for a lot of people now :D lol Oh, the one thing I did want to address...Shiori's "supernatrual" perception is because she's dying and wants her son taken care of...she knows he's lonely and she doesn't want that after she dies... As always, I'm loving the reviews and I'll see you tomorrow :D


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday mornings are nice, aren't they? No alarm clocks, no reason to get out of bed early. Why do I mention this? Because, my dear readers, it happens to be Saturday. It was also nearly ten in the morning, and our dear boys were still asleep. Not for much longer, though. Before they wake up, though, do you remember the comments I made about rough beginnings and difficult middles? Well, my dear readers, what we've been through so far is only the beginning. Saturday marks the beginning of the middle of our story.

Kurama stirred first, his head throbbing in time to his heart beat. With a groan he tried to bring his hand up to rub his head, but both of them were trapped beneath the weight of the two bodies that were with him in the bed. The noise and attempted movement did push Yusuke closer to wakefulness. Blearily, the brown eyed boy looked at the redhead. "You okay?" he mumbled.

"My head hurts," Kurama whimpered.

Yusuke gently brushed the red hair back, "Where do you keep the aspirin?" Motion on the other side of the bed let them know Hiei was awake, too.

"Cupboard by the fridge," Kurama mumbled. Talking made his head hurt more.

Yusuke kissed Kurama's cheek, "I'll be back, okay." Kurama just hummed, trying to minimize the amount of pain he felt behind his closed eyelids. Yusuke carefully slid off the bed, not wanting to jostle the redhead anymore than necessary. He had no trouble finding the aspirin and snooped around a bit, ostensibly looking for a glass to put water in. What he saw made him glad he'd made Kurama go out with him and Hiei. There was little in the way of actual food in the house. Lots of microwave crap, but little else. They were going food shopping later, he swore mentally to himself as he filled a glass with water. If only life would allow that…but I get ahead of myself.

Kurama's head was pillowed in Hiei's lap as the other boy rubbed his temples. Now, if you remember that Hiei wasn't touchy, shocked should be a pretty good word to describe what Yusuke should have been feeling, but last night had revised his opinion of Hiei. He carefully slid onto the bed, "Kurama, I have some aspirin for you." The redhead struggled to sit up, aided in that effort by the other two. "Drink all the water," Yusuke instructed, handing the pills and glass to the squinting boy. Kurama pulled a face as he tasted the tablets before the water washed them down his throat. He drank all the water, as instructed. "Rest for a while," Yusuke added, sliding off the bed, gesturing at Hiei to come with him. "We're going to use your shower, okay?"

Kurama relaxed into the bed, "Yeah. Yusuke…Hiei…"

"Yeah?" they answered in the same breath.

"Thank you for being here."

Yusuke and Hiei exchanged a glance and Hiei answered, "We're glad to be here for you, Kurama."

Kurama relaxed further into the bed, a small smile on his lips. Yusuke and Hiei slipped out of the room, closing the door behind them. Now, I'm sure you're thinking they took a shower together and I'm going to tell you what happened in that wonderful detail you crave. That would be nice, wouldn't it? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but they took separate showers. They both had a lot of issues to work out in their heads. Here's the short rundown: Both were falling for the redhead, and for each other; they'd just had the best sex of their lives thus far with each other and had spent the rest of the night comforting said redhead; they were going to accompany that redhead back to the hospital to visit his mother. That's a lot to deal with when only a couple of days earlier the idea was to seduce the redhead and leave it at that. So, they needed some time to themselves to think. Yusuke showered first and fixed what he could into something he deemed worthy of eating. Another non-punkish quality. Yusuke was picky about his food, so he was a decent cook.

Kurama staggered out of his bedroom about the same time Hiei came out of the bathroom. Yusuke poked his head out of the kitchen. "Feeling better?"

Kurama nodded, "Yeah. Is there any hot water left?"

Hiei nodded, "I prefer cold showers." Another reason for separate showers…Yusuke hates cold showers.

"Thanks," Kurama murmured as he stumbled into the bathroom. Just a quick note of clarification. Kurama is one of those people who really can't even see before he's taken a shower. As the hot water washed over him, he tried to sort out what he could remember of the night before. He vaguely remembered leaving the restaurant, barely able to walk, but he didn't remember getting home or getting into bed. He remembered a dream, more like nightmare, where he'd lost his mother and everyone else. He remembered calling out for Hiei and Yusuke He wasn't fully awake when he'd cried out, but he felt safe when they'd come to him. This was really what he was trying to figure out. Why had he called for the two and why did he feel secure with them? The water pounding on his cotton filled head wasn't helping much, either. But, at least he could function now. With a sigh, he shut off the water, wrapping a towel around himself as he stepped out of the tub. Slowly, he went about his routine, drying his body and then his hair. That accomplished, he realized he had a problem. He'd forgotten to grab clean clothes and his towels were about the same size as those found at a cheap motel. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but with the other two in the apartment, Kurama felt self-conscious. So, wrapping the towel around his waist as well as he could, Kurama opened the door a crack.

"We're in the kitchen," Yusuke's voice came as if he'd been waiting. "Hurry up and get dressed then come eat.

They didn't even try to peek as the redhead dashed from the bathroom to his bedroom and firmly shut the door. Are you surprised? Kurama was, and grateful. This lack of peeking did much to put how he was feeling in the "good" box in his brain instead of the "weird" box. I'm sure you remember those so I'll spare you the recap. Point is, Kurama felt something in his brain relax as he quickly pulled on clean clothes and joined Yusuke and Hiei in the kitchen.

Okay, nothing happens over brunch and I need to feel you in on a few things so you'll understand what happens next. You remember Hiei's adopted father is a judge, right? You also remember Yusuke's mom has connections to organized crime? Good. How about I clarify these connections? Yusuke's father is currently second in command of the local chapter of the crime syndicate, the Reikai. His father's name? Koenma Daioh. Other than you and me, who knows this? Koenma, Atsuko, and one other person, but that comes up in a while, so you'll have to wait, dear readers. Remember what I said about connections being good things? Well, not always.

Our trio left Kurama's apartment about one o'clock to go to the hospital, Kurama flanked by Yusuke and Hiei. They were about halfway there when a van pulled up next to them. Forgive my lack of detail, but what happened next went really fast.

"Grab them!" And our trio was trapped, gagged and gassed.

"There's three!"

"I know that. We'll deal with the spare later!"

"He's pretty."

"Later. Let's go!"

Now, there was a witness. Remember how I said Kuwabara wasn't terribly smart? What he does next makes me a liar. He runs, as soon as the car is out of sight. He ran straight to Shinobu Sensui with a description of the vehicle, the license plate number and a description of the people who'd grabbed our trio. Sensui sent him to Koenma with strict instructions to give him the same information while he got the cops working on tracking the van.

By two o'clock, Koenma and Sensui were walking into ward four. They walked into Shiori's room without challenge. Mr. Hatakama was there, sitting by her bedside, holding her hand. There's something you should know. Remember how I said it'd be nice if there were some miraculous recovery? Well…how about a non-miraculous recovery? Shiori's body was rallying, the treatment working, and slowly, the cancer was receding. Her collapse and needing to be on the ventilator was basically the cancer making its final attempt at winning. Not to say the battle is over. She's still got a long way to go before she can really even think about leaving the hospital, but it's in the cards.

Anyways, back to the action. Koenma and Sensui walked into Shiori's room without being challenged. All the nurses knew who they were, and, even though they were surprised, they knew better than to say anything. Koenma walked over to the bed and Sensui pulled the door closed behind them.

"Ma'am, my name is Koenma Daioh. This is Shinobu Sensui," he gestured at the other man. "I regret to inform you that our sons were kidnapped and your son was taken because he happened to be with them."

"What?" shot out of Hatakama's mouth. Shiori managed to get more pale.

Koenma shifted uncomfortably. "I am in a position of some influence and Yusuke is my son. He was born illegitimately and doesn't even know he's my son. Sensui is a judge and adopted Hiei. The people who took them are trying to force us to act in a specific manner."

"My baby…" ghosted past Shiori's pale lips.

"Ma'am, they were taken less than an hour ago. There was a witness and he informed us right after it happened. We have the police and other people working on finding them right now." He walked over to Shiori's bedside and placed his hand over hers and Hatakama's, looking her straight in the eye, "I promise you, we will get them back, soon and unharmed."

Shiori could see where Yusuke got his power to charm and reassure people, even if he didn't know this man was his father. She also could feel the determination behind those words. She took comfort in this, closing her eyes and nodding.

Koenma's hand tightened over theirs, "We'll keep you informed." He turned to leave and Sensui followed.

Pausing at the door, the judge looked over their shoulder, "They will be safe."

Again, Shiori saw the resemblance between father and son and took comfort both in their words and the fact that the sons were interested in her son. She liked the fathers. She seems fairly liberal, doesn't she? Happy that her son is being pursued, not just by a guy, but two guys. Well, my dear readers, when you've been as close to death as she has been and have seen the potential happiness the two boys brought her son, you may have the same view. She wanted her son to be happy if she died. She wanted him to not be lonely. And if two guys would keep her son happy and not lonely, then she could accept it. She smiled and nodded at Sensui and the two men left the room, leaving her and Hatakama to cope.

A/N: Well, I know it's a bit short...and I sort of almost forgot to post...I'm writiing chapter 11 and it starts out with ridiculous euphemisms that I woke up giggling about. These next chapters are going to be a bit angsty, but I do keep the tone as light as possible. Thank you for reviewing and please continue :D See you tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

Now, the last time we saw our boys, they were in a pretty bad spot, gassed and grabbed by parties unknown. How about I tell you who nabbed our boys so you can properly curse them? Or, are you happy they were kidnapped? Oh, I wonder about you if you are. Anyways, let's get to introductions.

Driving the van, we have one Aniki Toguro. He was a skinny man with straggly hair and a very annoying laugh. Not attractive, either…quite the opposite, in fact.

Next to him, his brother, muscle-bound, sunglassed, stoic, huge. If he had a first name, no one used it. He was only Toguro

There were two more in the van, in the back, watching over the unconscious heroes of our story. Silent, and almost as muscle-bound as Toguro, sat Bui. He, too, lacked a first name.

This last one, he merits a little more of an introduction. He was the one that said "He's pretty." Long, black hair hung silkily to his lower back, his eyes were made purple with contacts, his skin pale and he wore a black trench style coat. Vampire wannabe and general creep, interested in our dear redhead, meet Karasu. Again, if he has a first name, he never used it. He was currently petting the red hair, letting it slide through his fingers and tracing the unconscious boy's face with a long pale finger. Wanna get creeped out more? Karasu was getting hard. I'm not joking and I tell you because it plays a part later on.

There's one more person you need to know about. Sakyo Black. He's not in the van. He is, however, the leader of the Makai Gang. He wants to take over the territory that the Reikai controls. Thus, his great plan. Kidnap Yusuke and Hiei and force their fathers to bend to his will. Kurama wasn't part of this plan, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are times life majorly sucks, doesn't it?

Anyways, back to the van. You should know, chloroform and a hang over is a really bad combination. That doesn't come up quite yet, but you should know that. Actually, chloroform and food is a bad combination, too. A short way out of town, our kidnappers switch vans and drive back into town to an old warehouse that reeks of something like dead fish left too long and gym socks…a lot of gym socks that had gotten wet and had been left in the locker room over the weekend. We're getting wonderful combinations, aren't we? Keep this all in mind as we go through the next part of the story.

This warehouse had a lot of pillars and it's to two of these that the boys were strung up, Yusuke and Hiei on one, Kurama on another. Why? Kurama was the "spare" and therefore didn't merit the same treatment. Had Karasu been playing with Hiei or Yusuke, he would have been told off, if not beaten for it, but since he was interested in Kurama, no one said anything.

The four kidnappers had business to attend to, so our boys were left alone while they slowly made their ways back to consciousness. Yusuke was the first one to manage to get his eyes open, though it took a little longer to focus on anything. When he established Hiei was next to him, he looked around, trying to find the redhead. "Kurama?" he called softly as he felt Hiei move next to him.

Kurama's head moved slightly and this small motion triggered a massive reaction in his body. Remember, hang over, chloroform, smells….bad combination. The poor redhead's stomach rebelled. The way he was tied, though, he managed to hit the floor rather than his lap.

"Kurama!" Yusuke cried out in alarm.

Green eyes blearily came up, "Yusuke? Hiei?" His headache came back in full force and he still felt queasy.

"We're here, it's okay. Just breathe, okay." Yusuke was fighting the bonds on his wrist. He had to get over to Kurama. He could feel Hiei struggling next to him, as well.

"My stomach…my head…" the redhead whined. Please forgive him this…he's having a bad day.

"I know…I know…" Yusuke's voice was bordering on desperate.

"Just breathe," Hiei repeated.

"Ah, so you're awake," a slick voice came from behind Kurama. "Oh, my poor redhead, did your breakfast not like you?" Karasu stepped around the mess and crouched before Kurama, caressing his cheek, "Poor little redhead…"

"Don't touch him!" Yusuke and Hiei yelled in the same breath as Kurama said pretty much the same thing.

Karasu looked over his shoulder, "Oh, so it's that way?" Caressing Kurama's cheek once more even though the redhead pulled away from him with a disgusted face, Karasu stood and walked over to the other two. "So, you like him do you? Tell me, how far have you gotten with the pretty little redhead? What does he like? I bet he likes it when you both slide your cocks…"

Yusuke's foot flew up, striking Karasu square in the groin, "Shut the fuck up, pervert!"

Remember that problem we said Karasu was developing? Makes a kick to the groin that much worse, you know. The gangster's hand flew up and Yusuke was spared a beating by the voice of Toguro…the one without a first name, "Don't touch him." If looks could kill…

Aniki, for that's what we'll call him to spare us the confusion, laughed. Did I mention that sound was really annoying. Kind of a "hehehe" through his nose…Not pleasant in the least. Pulling a face that led one to believe the sound was the worst in the world, Karasu stood up and moved, not comfortably, away from Yusuke and Hiei.

Toguro looked at the mess next to Kurama and wrinkled his nose. "Move him," he ordered.

In Karasu's mind, this more than made up for the kick he'd received and the denied revenge. Yusuke cared about the redhead and Toguro didn't really care what happened to him. A smile that would have made any sane man nervous crossed his face as he walked over and untied the redhead. Not the best of moves…you do remember Kurama saying he could take care of himself? He wasn't just saying that to get Kuwabara off his back. During the time track wasn't in season, he took martial arts after school. And, even sick as he felt, he could still defend himself. His knee came up as his head went forward and Karasu felt a renewed blossom of pain in his groin accompanied by a new bloom in his nose. He almost threw Kurama away from him, until the sick part of his brain kicked in. "So, you like it rough, do you?" he asked, pulling the redhead closer to himself.

"Leave him alone!" the other two yelled again, for all the good it would do. They couldn't manage to get their wrists out from the ropes. Bui had tied them, and before he became a gangster, he'd been a boy scout. Nice, isn't it?

The adrenaline was doing much to clear Kurama's head. He actually smiled at Karasu. "Why don't you untie my hands and I'll show you what I like," he teased. With his hands tied and Karasu holding him so close he really didn't have a lot of room to maneuver and he could feel the sick vampire's erection pressing against him.

Remember that noise that should be heard when jaws drop? Yusuke and Hiei…yeah…should have been heard. Yusuke managed to whisper, "Kurama?"

Unfortunately, Kurama wasn't really in a position to reassure his friend he knew what he was doing. He kind of had to focus on what he was doing for it to work. What was he doing? He was going to get his hands untied and, with any type of luck, render the sick pervert that held him unconscious, at least.

It helps that Karasu was a bit of an idiot and Toguro didn't care enough to point this out. Okay, not so much "idiot" as thinking with the wrong head at the moment. Even after being kicked and kneed, he was still thinking with that head. Amazing, isn't it? Pulling the redhead away from the mess on the floor, but still within sight of the two still bound and very shocked boys, Karasu grinned lecherously and ran his fingers through the red hair. The Toguros, figuring Karasu would be amused for a while and not really caring to watch, left. This is a good thing, trust me.

Karasu untied the redhead with one hand while the other remained wrapped behind his back. Kurama rubbed his wrists lightly before tipping his head to the side, "So, you want to know what I liked, do you?" he asked coyly.

The hand that had worked the ropes reached around and grabbed Kurama's ass. Kurama was very hard pressed to keep the coy demeanor up while keeping his stomach where it belonged. "Show me what you like," Karasu invited. Stupid, isn't it? Showing very clearly that he was thinking with the wrong head.

Kurama managed to smile seductively, "As you wish." His hands came around Karasu's neck and wrapped around firmly, cutting off the gangster's air flow. Karasu's hands flew to Kurama's wrists, which is just what Kurama wanted. He stepped back and took a defensive crouch. "Don't tell me that bothered you," he taunted.

Karasu launched himself across to the redhead. He wasn't going to be denied! Unfortunately for him, that was exactly what Kurama wanted him to do. Remember all those pillars? Karasu met one, intimately…face first, as Kurama sidestepped and threw him into it. Remember the jaw dropping sound. Again…Yusuke and Hiei, but this time in awe.

Karasu shook himself off and staggered away from the pole. "Heh, so you want to play, do you?" he taunted the redhead, tossing off his trench coat. Underneath, a pale chest devoid of covering and black pants that were too tight…well, normally they wouldn't have been, but they were now. Yeah, Karasu's a sick sick person…pain gets him hotter and harder than anything else. It could be his or someone else's, he didn't care, so long as it was pain and he was involved. He approached the redhead a little more cautiously, but that didn't matter, he was thrown across the room, hitting a pillar with his side this time. As if once weren't enough to learn, twice should have been, right? Nope. Not for Karasu. He went at the redhead once more. This time, Kurama kicked, his foot flying up in a perfect roundhouse kick. Now, remember our redhead is a bit unstable at the moment. He was aiming for Karasu's ear, where the skull is the thickest. Instead, he hit his temple, where the skull is the thinnest. I know there's not a great deal of difference in distance and Karasu was moving, but that small difference makes a great deal of difference. Instead of just being rendered unconscious, Karasu now had massive head trauma. A major concussion. As in, he had about ten minutes, tops, to get to the hospital. That may have been possible, except just at that moment, the doors of the warehouse burst open

A real quick check on the time, here. Our boys were taken just after one o'clock. The search was in full swing at two o'clock. It was now almost seven o'clock. There were only so many places the Makai gang could have hidden in the town and when the van was found, there were tracks that led back to town instead of away from it, making the search that much easier. Back to the action, and if it gets confusing, I do apologize, it happens really quickly again.

The doors burst open and Kurama turned to the sound, a dazed expression on his face. He saw one thing, though, and that got him moving. He saw guns. He dove for Yusuke and Hiei, seeking safety with them. The two boys really wanted to hold the redhead at that moment. They wanted to move, too. It was a bad idea to be tied up during a gun fight, y'know. Urgently, Yusuke said, "Untie us. We need to move, now!"

Kurama was shaking. Remember, he was running on adrenaline. His hands trembled violently as he reached up and worked the knots on Yusuke's wrists. At the same time, the Toguros and Bui come out of some office type room, guns out and blazing. The invaders, who happen to be police and Reikai members, return fire. Kurama yelped and ducked his head to Yusuke's shoulder.

"Hurry up and untie us, Kurama, we need to get out of here!" Yusuke yelled over the noise. Whimpering in fear, Kurama moved to obey. He managed to get Yusuke untied but couldn't manage anymore. The noise, the knowledge there were bullets flying, the chloroform, everything that had happened that day was just a bit more than he could handle, and the adrenaline rush was starting to overwhelm him. He was shaking badly, all over, and sobbing. Yusuke quickly untied Hiei and the two boys dragged Kurama away from the noise, hiding behind some other pillars.

Our boys stayed there, holding onto each other, Yusuke and Hiei rubbing the redhead, trying to soothe him, calm him. But, if you've ever been on an adrenaline rush, you know it's gotta work itself out and no amount of soothing will hurry that process, though it does help to be hugged, have your back stroked and be told over and over, "It's okay." This is what Hiei and Yusuke were doing. While it couldn't hurry the process along, it did help Kurama regain a sense of stability faster. While the noise of gunfire and other yelling continued, the three were an oasis of calm.

When the noise stopped, none of the boys could have said. They weren't paying attention to such trivial matters as the gunfight going on in the same room. They were a little preoccupied. Kurama was recovering from what amounts to a panic attack, and Hiei and Yusuke were coping with a lot of emotions. Those emotions weren't helped in the least when Kurama sobbed out, "I love you." Yes, he really did say that. Why? He doesn't know, so how would I? I'm sure you'd like to know what he meant, too, but I think you'd also prefer to know what happens next. Yes, next, my dear reader. Life isn't finished with our trio yet, so forgive me for moving on.

"Let's go, now!" a voice spoke up behind Yusuke and Hiei. All three moved to look. A tall, tan black haired, black eyed man with a cigarette in his mouth and a gun in his hand stood over them. You want our trio to just kick his ass, don't you? Remember, though, they're dealing with a lot already. They're not really in a place where they can kick his ass. Kurama's shaking so badly, it's doubtful he could stand without support, and while Yusuke and Hiei could fight, and well, they weren't stupid enough to go against a gun. They also didn't want to expose Kurama to any more than he'd already gone through. So, as gently as they could, they lifted the redhead from the ground and followed Sakyo, for that's who it was ordering them around. He ordered them along the warehouse, out of sight of the fire fight still going on. It's amazing how long three people can hold off a lot more, isn't it? They reached another van in the back of the warehouse, one that Sakyo had driven over in. As this was Sakyo's private vehicle, it had some special modifications to it. The back was separated from the driver's seat and could only be opened from the outside. Into this cage on wheels, our boys were ordered. The nature of the divider is important, so I'll tell you. It's a solid sheet of plexiglas. Sakyo disliked hearing his prisoners complaining. Why is this important? You'll see…oh, I'll tell you. It allows our boys to talk freely. Sakyo climbed in the passenger door and ordered his driver to go.

Yusuke kept a cautious eye on Sakyo's back and asked, "Kurama, are you okay? He was still holding, who had stopped shaking.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for panicking." That whole thing bothered him. Normally, he wouldn't have panicked, but we went over contributing factors already.

"Don't sweat it. Those were some sweet moves you used." Yusuke's eyes turned to the redhead. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Like that'll do any good," Hiei and Kurama said together. Their eyes met and they smiled at each other while Yusuke protested.

"Hey! I mean it! I don't want to be on your bad side."

Kurama's smile turned on Yusuke, "I know."

Yusuke's chest tightened so fast it felt like someone had kicked him. His hand came up, his thumb brushing against the redhead's lower lip as Yusuke bent closer. When their lips met, Kurama's hand haltingly made its way to Yusuke's arm. Feeling confident, Yusuke slid his hand into Kurama's hair as he felt Hiei crawl onto Kurama's lap. Green eyes flew open when lips touched his throat, but that was the only sign of alarm from the redhead. His free arm when around Hiei's body a little less hesitantly and he moaned slightly. Yusuke's fingers massaged his scalp and one of Hiei's arms wrapped around him, the other going around Yusuke. Yusuke slid his free hand into Hiei's hair and our trio forgot, for all too brief a moment, where they were.

Then, most unfortunately, the van lurched, upsetting the precarious balance of the boys, breaking the moment. Hiei growled, Yusuke cursed, and Kurama blushed. Pushing themselves upright again, Yusuke asked the question that's been burning in our minds. "What did you mean when you said 'I love you'?"

Kurama's blush deepened. He hadn't meant for the words to come out. "Well, you two have been so kind to me…even if all you want is sex, you've been put through a lot with no results. And…well…you came to me when I called you and you didn't try anything…and…"

"You really mean you love us?" Hiei asked, cutting off the redhead's halting ramble.

Kurama was silent a moment, a very long moment in which he stared out the window. Hiei and Yusuke struggled with patience. Finally, the redhead looked at the now nervous pair, meeting their eyes in turn. "Yeah, I meant I love you both, but I don't know about the sex thing."

A/N:Whee...a whole week of this nonsense :D I'm over 31k words into it, too...maybe I'll make the NaNoWriMo goal with this story...that'd be fun, wouldn't it? Well, what do you think? Kurama gets to kick butt and there's WAFF-iness, too...a good combination, yes? I'll quit babling at you here and move on to babbling in the story, which I'm sure you'd rather read. Lots of love and feed the muse ;D


	9. Chapter 9

Now, wouldn't it be grand if they had time to explore that statement? Wouldn't it be wonderful if life gave Yusuke and Hiei a chance to respond? Do you remember what I said when we started this journey? I hope so.

The van lurched to a stop before Hiei or Yusuke could fully absorb the statement Kurama had just made. The door was wrenched open and Sakyo pointed his gun at the trio, "Out!"

Why don't we take the time the boys are stumbling from the van to the building that resembles a cross between a stable and Fort Knox and introduce a few more people? Sakyo's driver is a blonde haired man with red tips on his bangs. He was a bit arrogant and had deliberately lurched the van before. His name? Suzaku. He'd had it legally changed so that was his full name.

Next, at the door, we have a guy who makes Kuwabara look absolutely gorgeous by comparison. I mean, seriously, this guy looks like a gargoyle. His name? Genbu Rock. His job? Security. Let me tell you, he was good at it. He almost had a supernatural understanding of where someone's weaknesses were.

Standing next to Genbu, another freak of nature. Grey and black streaked hair stood out from his head like a mane. Was it natural or dyed? I'm not sure…but, that's the way it was. He also had fangs and his face was a bit flattened from a lot of fights…I mean a lot of fights. He'd fought all his life. He also had four dogs sitting by him that looked as bad as he did. His name? Byakko West.

Inside, waiting for Sakyo, we have a very elegant man in oriental garb. He carried himself with the dignity and aplomb of a royal butler. But, don't let that fool you. He could kill a person in 30 seconds flat with his bare hands. His name? Seiriyu North.

There's one more person to meet, but our boys are going to meet him just now, so why don't we meet him together?

Byakko and Genbu chained Yusuke's and Hiei's hands into cuffs while Sakyo kept his gun trained on Kurama. Then, Byakko led Hiei into a room while Genbu cuffed Kurama. Yusuke and Kurama couldn't miss the gasp from Hiei's lips as he entered the room and they exchanged a glance, wondering what would cause such a reaction, Yusuke more surprised than Kurama. When they heard the whispered, "Itsuki?" Yusuke knew what had caused his friend to react. Kurama was clueless, and this showed when he glanced at Yusuke. Unfortunately, Yusuke couldn't answer just then as he was being dragged into the room, where he, too let out a gasp. Kurama was getting very worried now. When he was finally led into the room and chained to the wall by his wrists over his head, he saw a man across the room who looked like he'd seen much better days.

Remember how I said three people knew that Yusuke was Koenma's son? Meet the third, Itsuki Gatekeeper. Why did he know? He was, after a way, Yusuke's godfather. Why did Hiei know him? He was, after a way, Sensui's lover. Why do I say "after a way"? Well, Itsuki was oddly religious. There were times he'd take off for weeks, if not months, on end. Sensui seemed almost not to care, but they would celebrate his returns long into the next day or two. They also never actually said they loved each other. Itsuki happened also to be Koenma's best friend in high school, which is why he's sort of Yusuke's godfather. He was also a sort of father-figure to Hiei, since, when he was around, he lived with him and Sensui. He'd been gone for about a week this time, and it looked as if he'd spent most of that time being beaten. His hair, long and light, looking almost blue in the odd light of the holding cell, was matted and tangled. His face, aristocratic and pale, was colored by bruises, some newer, some fading. His clothing was ripped and dirty, showing bruises on his body. He was no longer chained to the wall, though his hands were bound. Kurama could see that one of his legs lay at an odd angle, probably broken and giving the man a lot of pain. He growled low in his throat as anger began to build in him.

Byakko, who was leading Kurama in, taunted him, "What you plan on doing, foxy? You're gonna be looking worse if their fathers don't cooperate with Sakyo."

Yusuke and Hiei yelled out, "Don't touch him!" But they couldn't do much because they were already chained to the wall and the cuffs were so tight they almost cut off circulation to their hands. That didn't stop them from trying, though.

"I plan on making you look like he does," Kurama answered coldly. Now, you have to know this about Kurama. He is very compassionate, true, but he also can be vicious. He started taking martial arts so that he could defend those who he saw being unfairly picked on by bullies. He was slightly built, so he had to find some other advantage than simple brute strength. Martial arts was that advantage. He'd progressed through yondan, the fourth degree black belt, of aikido before track had started this year, before he'd moved. Yes, he kept up practice while his mother was sick. She'd insisted that he did, just as she insisted he run track, too. He also was a little forgetful as a kid, often locking himself out of his house, so he'd developed a habit of keeping a lock picking kit in his shoe. Yes, that's important. Also, remember, he's flexible. Okay, shall I move on now?

Byakko slammed Kurama against the wall, pinning his arms over his head and pressing his body against the redhead. "Not likely, sweetheart."

Kurama smiled, though, it was totally unlike the smile that prompted Yusuke and Hiei to kiss him. This smile would have had them stepping back, especially after what they'd seen him do to Karasu. "Just wait, you'll see."

Byakko laughed as he connected Kurama's handcuffs to the wall, "I'm sure I will, foxy."

Hard green eyes tracked the freak's movements out of the cell until the door closed with a slam behind him. His face then softened slightly into a look of concern and concentration. "Are you okay?" he asked Itsuki.

"Yeah," the man breathed out. He turned to Yusuke, "I'm sorry…"

Now, you'll remember that Yusuke doesn't know who his father is, and he knows Kurama's father is dead, so he's confused as to why the freak had said "their fathers." He knew that Hiei's father was in a place of authority, but…why plural? "Why are you sorry, Itsuki? It's not like you planned on getting nabbed," Yusuke murmured, vaguely aware of motion from Kurama's direction.

"I told them who your father is, Yusuke. I'm sorry." Itsuki looked close to tears.

"My…father?"

"Koenma…" Itsuki answered.

"Fuck," Yusuke breathed. Now it made sense. A lot of things made sense just then. Remember those sound effects that should exist. This time, a crash of things suddenly falling into place. He let his head drop forward, the information overload a bit overwhelming. "Fuck," he repeated, letting the word ghost from his lips. When he felt hands touch his wrists, his head flew up and he repeated, "Fuck!" this time surprised.

Now, to explain the motion, which Yusuke would have liked to watch, but he was a little too distracted. Kurama's hands were cuffed just above his head, so he bent his legs so his arms were straight and brought his leg up to his hand, breathing slowly and concentrating on getting his leg up while his back pressed against the wall. He'd done this type of thing with his back on the floor and both legs going up, but one leg and against he wall was more difficult. He made it, however, and managed to grab his lock picking kit out of his shoe before his leg fell back to the ground. He then opened his hand cuffs quickly, moving to undo Yusuke's next. With a small grin, he asked the brown-eyed boy, "Is that all you can think of?" before he moved on to unlock Hiei.

Yusuke rubbed his wrists, Itsuki's revelation momentarily set aside the way the mind does when it gets too much to cope with. "You are full of surprises, aren't you? Is there more we should know?"

Kurama smiled enigmatically as he moved over to Itsuki, "Maybe, but let's go over that later. For now, we need to figure out how to get out of here and get him help." After unlocking the older man, he put the lock kit back in his shoe. "Okay, now, we need to think of something."

Now, I know it seems a bit obvious, but being locked in a room with uglies guarding the door is a bit of a disadvantage. And, they hadn't eaten anything since brunch, which didn't hang around for Kurama, so, they were a bit hungry, too.

And, to be further annoying, let's check on the gunfight we abandoned. It was over. The Toguros and Bui had run out of bullets. But, unlike Karasu, who had needed to go to the hospital, they were still alive and in custody. Aniki was with Reikai men, who were…persuading him to reveal the location of Sakyo's hide out. It should be noted that the Reikai had an expert in this type of persuasion. Her name? Yes, her, not him. Her name was Botan. She dyed her hair blue and to most of the world appeared bubbly and absent minded, but she was an expert at convincing people to spill the deepest darkest secrets of their souls…without making them look like Itsuki. She would have been disgusted at the way Itsuki looked…and proceeded to call it a hack job done by rank amateurs. She took pride in not leaving physical marks and getting all the information she needed. And Aniki was about to break. How long had she been working on him? Half an hour. Yes, it took that long to run out of bullets, and…convince the Toguros and Bui they wanted to come along. Anyways, point is, about nine o'clock, eight hours after this horrid daymare began, Aniki is about to tell Botan where to find our boys. And with that information, the Reikai moved out.

I'm sure you want me to get back to our boys, don't you? Okay, I'll quit stalling.

Hiei asked, "Where did you learn that?" gesturing at the redhead's shoe.

"I used to lock myself out a lot," Kurama blushed. He cleared his throat, "That's beside the point. We need to figure something out, a way out of here." He began looking around the room, trying to find anyway out. Aside from the chains on the wall, there were no other furnishings and the air vent was in the center of the room, set in the middle of a 10 foot ceiling. Nothing looked promising, and Kurama was getting frustrated. Trying to think of something, he looked over Itsuki's wounds. Quietly, more to himself, he murmured, "How are we going to get you out of here?"

"Just get yourselves out of here," Itsuki ordered, knowing that if the three were to have a chance, he'd have to stay behind. He'd be a burden to them.

All three boys said, "No!"

It was then a loud noise outside the room caught their attention. More gunfire. Yusuke dove and shoved Kurama down, Hiei moving to push Itsuki down as carefully as he could. All four sets of eyes locked on the door, uneasy as the noise continued. Now, remember, though our boys are good at fighting, none of them is stupid and they know that fists and feet don't stand a chance against guns…at least not until the guns are out of ammo. Kurama reached a hand out and grabbed Hiei's hand. The red-eyed boy squeezed his hand appreciatively while his eyes remained locked on the door. Yusuke's hand covered the other two and Itsuki tore his eyes away from the door long enough to glace at the tangle of fingers, smiling even in the midst of the chaos. After a long time, the noise stopped.

A really quick time check, since I actually did skip a chunk. The action, though it seems like it, was not simultaneous. Our boys were actually locked into the room about ten…I really should have clarified that earlier, shouldn't I have? And why did it take so long? Well, Suzaku was driving to shake off a tail that might have been on them. The Reikai guys, however, drove straight to their destination, so it took them a lot less time to get there. Anyways, back to the action.

The four in the room held their breaths as they waited for the next sound. There was a banging on the doorknob and they could see it shudder. The boy's shoved themselves to their feet and took up their various defensive stances as they ranged themselves between the door and Itsuki. There was a clang of metal hitting the floor and the door burst open, revealing Koenma and Sensui. Kurama, not knowing who these men were, remained on the defensive, but Hiei and Yusuke called out to them. Well, not so much called as acknowledged.

"Bout time you got here," Yusuke groused.

"Couldn't you be on the ball?" Hiei added.

Sensui normally would have said something to his recalcitrant son, but his eyes fell on his lover and he felt the world drop from under his feet. "Itsuki!" he cried as he moved quickly across the room. This surprised Hiei. He knew the two were lovers, but he'd never seen Sensui express such concern over the other man. Sensui actually had tears in his eyes. Even Itsuki was surprised.

"I'm okay, Shinobu." Yeah, it's a bit weird for lovers to use last names, but Itsuki preferred Sensui's last name…he thought it was more sensual.

Sensui brushed his fingers over Itsuki's cheek, pushing the tangled hair out of his face, "You're not going on another walk about," he said, his voice brooking no argument. Then, he did something that would have elicited the jaw dropping noise, if it existed, from Hiei. He kissed Itsuki. I mean, seriously kissed, as in the type of kiss that says "Oh, my god, I've missed you, never leave me again, if you do I'll kill you" type kiss. Get the idea.

Koenma cleared his throat after a moment. "We need to get out of here. Sakyo's still on the run."

Sensui broke his kiss with Itsuki reluctantly and picked up the injured man with more care than the most precious of treasures. Koenma pushed open the door and the two made their way out of the hallway littered with spent cartridges and a couple of bodies. Yusuke and Hiei flanked Kurama, holding him while they made their way down the hall, following Sensui and Koenma followed them. Outside, more evidence of a fire fight, but our boys weren't aware enough of their surroundings to notice it and it's not important, so we'll skip it. What does matter is there was a large van waiting for our group. With delicate care, Sensui set Itsuki in it and sat next to him. Our trio climbed in and took one bench to themselves, sometime during the walk, their hands had joined and they remained that way while they sat. Before he closed the door, Koenma said, "We're going to the hospital. You can see your mother while we're there, Shuichi, and then we're taking you to some place safe."

Kurama's eyes were grateful as he nodded. Koenma slammed the door shut and clambered into the driver's seat, leaving every available man to search for Sakyo. He knew the boys were at risk as long as the other man was free and he also knew the police couldn't do much about him. Kurama felt the hands around his fingers squeeze and he returned the movement, more glad than he realized he would be for the presence of the two punks, one he'd labeled the one he'd least wanted to see and the other he barely met. It's amazing what a day will do, isn't it? With a sigh, he let his head fall forward, the long day taking its toll on him. He smiled as Hiei and Yusuke simultaneously switched the hand that was holding his to wrap their arms around him. Again he squeezed their hands and quietly asked, "You two okay?" Though, he needn't have bothered being quiet. The two in front of them had resumed their interrupted lip-locked conversation with a vengeance.

Yusuke's head nuzzled Kurama's shoulder, "Yeah, you?"

"I'm never drinking again," Kurama murmured.

"Funny guy," Hiei returned. "Seriously, Kurama," his red eyes sought out the green ones, "are you okay?"

Kurama held Hiei's gaze, letting his head rest against Yusuke's. "Yeah, I am" he answered at length.

Hiei brought the hand that was wrapped around Kurama up and brushed his hair back, an intense expression on his face, "Good, I'm glad." Yusuke glanced over at Hiei and felt that tightening again, the kicking in the chest tightening he'd felt before. It got stronger as Hiei leaned in and brought his lips in contact with Kurama's. Yusuke watched as red and green eyes disappeared under heavy lids as the two silently expressed how relieved they were. He was torn. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to kiss more. Finally, he brushed Kurama's hair away from his neck and lightly brushed his lips just under the redhead's ear. Kurama released his hand and brought the now free appendage up to hold his head. Yusuke's now free hand worked its way around Hiei's body as his lips continued to explore what of the redhead's neck he could reach. Kurama moaned slightly, and Hiei made use of the lesson last night to bring his tongue out to sample the redhead's lips. Hesitantly, feeling a bit shy, Kurama opened his mouth and Hiei took the invitation. While the feel was very very nice, the taste wasn't so much. Remember, our dear redhead has been sick today and hasn't had a chance to do anything about getting the taste out of his mouth. But, at that moment, Hiei didn't really care.

Do I really need to say our boys were a little annoyed when the van stopped at the hospital? Actually, Sensui and Itsuki were annoyed too. They'd been enjoying their individual conversations, but there were things to attend to.

"Shuichi, you have half an hour. I'll pick you boys up at your mother's room. Go straight there." Yes, Koenma had noticed what was going on in the back of the van. He's not blind, you know. And the radio was off. And Kurama was moaning. But, then, so were Itsuki and Sensui. So, again life interrupts our boy's attempts at happiness. Don't you just hate life at times?

A/N Well, my darling readers...I'm starting chapter 13 when I'm finished here...well, typing up the end of chapter 12, and then starting chapter 13. I'm working on this story on my way to and from work as well as on my lunch...aren't you glad I ride the bus? But, I'm going to need to get a new keyboard soon, my space bar is sticky...blah...anyways...I love the reviews, they are what feeds the muse (and that rhymed...ugh). I think, but I'm not totally sure, but 13 may be the last chapter, I'll let you know.


	10. Chapter 10

You hate these reviews, don't you? I'm sure you do, but you're getting one because it's important to understand what's next. It is now nearly midnight…almost Sunday. Maria is on duty, but she's off soon. She's been worried about Shuichi and Shiori all day. Hatakama's been at the hospital all day, as well. Maria was too kind hearted to kick him out when visiting hours were over, and, even if she had tried, he wasn't going to leave. Shiori was actually holding up pretty well, all things considered. Her nervousness was exhibited by the growing mound of shredded tissues around her in the bed, but she hadn't suffered any physical setbacks, health wise. This is quite remarkable, considering how much stress it is hearing your son has been kidnapped and being unable to do anything about it. She had even managed to drink a meal drink thing, so that she could tell Shuichi when he returned that she had.

Kurama, let us remember, has been through a lot today, and it showed. First, waking up with a hangover, then being kidnapped and chloroformed, then getting sick, which, even though he missed his lap was still on his clothes, then a fight, then witness to a gun fight, then taken somewhere else and chained up, another gun fight, and making out in the back of a van. He looked awful, frankly. His clothes were dirty and torn, his hair was matted and a bit wild. Remember how I said he was always perfect? His mother had never seen him looking so bad. But, at the moment, he didn't care. He wanted to see her. He also saw the torn expression on Yusuke's face.

Let's remember, Yusuke has been through almost as much as Kurama, minus the hangover and sickness, adding the finding out who his father was. Granted, he'd known Koenma all his life, but this new aspect…he wasn't sure what to make of it. Yusuke kept looking between Kurama and Koenma. "Stay here, Yusuke, I'll be okay," Kurama said at last.

"No," Koenma countered, "I have things to take care of. We can talk later, Yusuke, after Sakyo's taken care of. Go with Kurama now. You, too, Hiei." Hiei was torn, too, wanting to be with Sensui and Itsuki as well as Kurama. Nodding, the two moved to flank Kurama, grabbing his hands, and left the emergency room to go to Shiori's room.

When they entered the ward, Maria gasped and ran to the boys, grabbing them all and hugging them quickly before pulling back and ordering, "Go, hurry, she's still awake! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Worry propelled Kurama quickly across the room, dragging Hiei and Yusuke behind him. His mother's door was open and she was looking expectantly at the door, having heard Maria's rejoicing. "Shuichi!" she called softly, holding out her hands.

Kurama let go of Yusuke and Hiei and dove for his mother's arms, tears coming down his cheeks. "I love you!" he cried as his arms wrapped around the frail woman.

"My baby…my baby…my poor baby!" Shiori did her best to gather Kurama into her lap and hold him close, tears falling down her cheeks, as well.

Forgive me…I cannot continue, but you get the idea. Yusuke and Hiei stood by the door and after a while, Shiori motioned them to come over and introductions were made, hugs exchanged and too soon, Koenma was at the door.

"Please, get some sleep, Mother. I love you. We're going with Koenma. He said he'd take care of us so you don't have to worry. We'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

Shiori nodded, "You, too, get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow." She laid back on the pillow and let her eyes close. She was asleep before the boys left the room.

Kurama looked over his shoulder once more at the door, a smile on his lips when he saw his mother asleep. Hiei and Yusuke wrapped their arms around the redhead as the three followed Koenma back to the vehicle. Kurama was exhausted and began falling asleep the minute he sat down. Yusuke and Hiei were tired as well and were content to rest their heads on Kurama's shoulders as they traveled. It was dark and the lights were not on when they arrived at their destination, and given their sleepiness, it's natural they didn't notice their surroundings. Actually, their surroundings really aren't that important as the fact that they were led to a room with a single bed, a king sized bed, and an en suit bathroom. Hiei and Yusuke, being the less tired, helped Kurama wash off, though he insisted they leave the room while he changed into the pajamas that had been provided for them. There was also a toothbrush and a hair brush which he made use of before relinquishing the bathroom. With a wave, he climbed in the bed and was asleep before the other two had entered the bathroom.

"What do we do now?" Hiei asked as he took off his shirt.

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked, doing the same thing. They had seen each other before, so it really didn't matter that they changed in the same room, did it?

Hiei looked down at the shirt he still held. "About Kurama. About us." His eyes came up to look at Yusuke in the mirror. "He's not the only one…" his voice trailed off.

"I know…" Yusuke said softly, meeting Hiei's reflected gaze.

"What do we do?" Hiei repeated.

Yusuke's eyes dropped, "I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair, "Shit, I mean, just a couple of days ago, all I wanted was to fuck him. And now…" his voice trailed off.

"And now," Hiei added, "you don't want to leave him, even if he never puts out."

Yusuke's eyes dropped, "I don't really even care about that so much anymore. I still want to fuck him, but…it's different, now."

"I know…" Hiei added. The two stood in awkward silence for a minute…a very long minute. "I feel the same about you," Hiei finally said, almost whispering it, afraid the words would be rejected.

"I feel the same about you, too," Yusuke said back, his eyes on the floor.

"Now what?" Hiei asked again.

Yusuke shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe we should try talking about this in the morning when we can think straight."

"And we all can talk," Hiei added.

"Yeah."

They quickly removed their remaining clothes and clambered into pajamas as well. I know you're disappointed, no kissing, no nude sleeping, but…well…our boys have had a stressful day, and while I know that type of activity makes for good stress relief, our boys were just not up to it. In many ways, their conversation was a lot more intimate than that type of activity could be. They had stood more bare than they had ever been before. It's kind of intense. So I'm sorry to disappoint you, but all they did next was sleep. Kurama curled around Hiei in his sleep and Yusuke wrapped around the other two. And that is how morning found them.

A/N: Well, my dears...I know this story will be 14 chapters long now...and chapter 14 is going to be sevely edited for here. Chapter 13 brought up things I didn't expect, but then, that's nothing new...I didn't expect a lot of things in this story...anyways...Though I hate to do this to you, Wednesday will end this story...it'll give you a lot to think about over Thanksgiving...If I'm anywhere as good as I need to be ;) Gods...I hope so! I'd hate to disappoint you, my loyal readers. Review! And yes, I've been told it gets difficult to come up with new things to say...and I know with the holidays coming up people are busy...but I appreciate any quick notes :D And, yes, I know it's short, but tomorrow's makes up for it...and it's important, don't you think?


	11. Chapter 11

Sundays…not quite as nice as Saturdays. Last day of the weekend, back to the grind tomorrow and all that. And it was raining, creating a hypnotic noise against the window. This is important. Also, it wasn't really morning anymore, noon having just past. Our boys were still asleep. Though, not for long. Let's take a moment too look at how they're sleeping and then…well, you'll understand in a moment and I'm sure you're more interested in what's going on than my commentary about it. Kurama is sleeping on his back, his hands, palm up, down by his side. Yes, this is relevant, you'll see in a moment. Yusuke and Hiei were each draped over a leg, their fingers interlaced. Again, relevant. You'd like to know how? Shall I just tell you? Okay, then, I'll get to it…without further ado. Yusuke's and Hiei's hands happened to be right over Kurama's, ummm…shall we say…morning issue?...and their issues were in Kurama's hands. And all three were moving in such a way as to relieve those issues. And all three were still asleep, kept there mostly by that hypnotic noise of rain against glass. But not for much longer. Kurama's issue reached resolution first, causing his hands to tighten around the other two's issues, resolving them, and in the process, waking all three. Now that we've finished with the ridiculous euphemisms, let's move on.

Blearily, Kurama opened his eyes, his ears taking in the groans of the other two when the strange sensation of something moving in his hands and a sudden warmth around his wrists pulled him completely awake. He also became aware of warmth on his abdomen. Quickly, pieces fell into place, and he stared wide eyed at the ceiling. "Oh, my gods," he murmured quietly.

Yusuke and Hiei lifted their heads at this sound. "Shit" "Fuck"…I'll leave it to you to figure out who said what. Let's remember we're dealing with punks here…punks who've had sex with each other and want to have sex with the redhead. Remember? Okay…

Yusuke backed away from Kurama, his face as red as any beets, and maybe redder, "I'm so sorry, Kurama…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Hiei was doing about the same thing. Both boys were wide eyed in horror and red faced in embarrassment.

Slowly, Kurama sat up, looking at his hands, his soiled pajamas, Yusuke's soiled pajamas, Hiei's soiled pajamas, his hands…you get the idea. Anyways, Kurama finally spoke up. "You were asleep, right?" He was looking at the bed between his legs.

"Yeah," the two answered, their voices full of shame and remorse.

"So was I," Kurama murmured, still looking at the bed. After a moment, he looked up, smiling at the very nervous punks. "I'll let it slide this time." He was flung to the bed as two sets of arms when around his neck and many words of appreciation fell on his ears. Laughing, he said, "Get off me or I'll change my mind!"

Laughing the three sat up again. It felt good to laugh. Yusuke brushed his hand against Kurama's cheek, "I love your laugh." His expression became serious, remembering his conversation with Hiei in the bathroom, but, before he could say anything, the door opened.

Koenma walked in the room, followed by a tall man carrying a small pile of clothing. "We need to leave in a little over an hour. George," he gestured at the man following him, "will bring you breakfast in an hour and we'll leave after that to go to the hospital. Your mother is doing fine, Shuichi, and I know you want to see her." He turned to Hiei, "Itsuki is fine as well, and is looking forward to seeing you." He gestured at the pile of clothes George had set on the dresser in the room, "We brought you clothes from your houses. Yusuke, you and I will talk while they visit. Sakyo is still on the loose, so you three are going to return here. We'll be at the hospital for about an hour." With that, he turned and left, George trailing after him and pulling the door closed.

Remember how I said life was conspiring against them? This is where we start working at finding the answers to the questions I asked way back at the beginning of this tale. They've been through a lot, haven't they? Also, remember how I said Kurama didn't function well before a shower? Shock, first thing in the morning, does a lot to remedy that.

Yusuke glared at the door, "He couldn't wait, could he?"

Kurama moved to get out of bed. He really wanted a shower. A hand on his arm stopped him. He looked back and saw Hiei holding him. "You should laugh more," he said, a little awkwardly, as if that wasn't really what he wanted to say.

Kurama smiled, "I'll try…" Hiei let go of his arm and he slid off the bed.

While Kurama was grabbing his clothes, Yusuke wrapped his arms around him. "Can we join you, please? Nothing will happen, it's just…we…" his voice trailed off and he leaned his cheek against the back of Kurama's neck.

Hiei wrapped his arms around the duo, "We want to talk…"

Kurama was torn. He was in no way ready to have a physical relationship with the two. Waking up with…issues being resolved in his hands was weird enough. He also hadn't missed the looks the other two had given him. He didn't want to push them away, but he didn't know if he could cope with what they were going to say. He also liked how it felt to have them near, how it felt to be held. Relenting, "If you try anything, I'm shoving you out." Well…maybe not completely relenting. Arms tightened around him briefly before he was released and the other two picked up their clothes, following him into the bathroom.

Detail, right? That's what you want? You also want to know if Yusuke and Hiei do try anything, don't you? And you want to know how Kurama reacts, don't you? I did promise detail when it mattered, didn't I? You'd like me to move on now, wouldn't you? I could draw this out just to…no…I won't…

Hiei followed Kurama into the bathroom, Yusuke behind him, pulling the door closed behind them and locking it, not trusting Koenma to stay away. Kurama was feeling nervous as the other two removed their pajamas mater-of-factly while he hesitated.

"We won't try anything," Yusuke reiterated.

"I know…" Kurama muttered, looking at the counter, finding the marbling extremely fascinating.

"It's not like you haven't showered with other guys before," Hiei added, knowing how things worked after track. That was something he had missed…but I digress again.

"I know…" Kurama repeated, still looking at the sink. "But…this is different," he added, the words barely understandable.

Yusuke paused, his hands on the waist band of his pants, "If you don't wanna…"

"We can talk later," Hiei added. It's funny how they keep finishing each other's statements, isn't it? They weren't doing it on purpose…it's that they were nervous and thinking the same thing, and when one trailed off, the other would pick up, because it was their thought being voiced.

Kurama looked into the mirror, seeing the nearly identical expressions in red and brown eyes. He saw sincerity and need. There was more, too, something he recognized but couldn't identify at the moment. Should I tell you? Do you want me to? I'm not going to. There's a reason, keep reading. To this, Kurama responded, his defenses going down. "No, it's okay. We can talk now." He gave the other two a small smile as relief swept their features and pulled off his pajama top.

While his shirt was over his head, the other two shoved off their pants. Now…I'm sure you remember that Hiei likes colder showers and Yusuke hates them and Kurama likes hot water, at least, right? So, how do we solve this problem? Okay, not we…they…anyways, point is, there's a preference problem, y'know. Well, Hiei set the water temperature higher than he prefers and stepped in, Yusuke following him. They both waited for Kurama, who, blushing deeply, pushed his pants off and stepped in the tub as well, pulling the curtain behind him as Hiei turned on the shower. I bet you're wondering how three boys managed to fit into a tub. I bet you have images of naked bodies rubbing up against each other in innocent and not so innocent ways. It's one of those soaking tubs. It's big. There is air around each body. Sorry.

Nervously, Yusuke licked his lips, "Kurama…" he began, faltering when green eyes in a red face turn to him. "I…I…uh…I…wanna wash your hair." Well, that was out of left field, wasn't it? Kurama thought so too…as did Hiei.

Kurama blinked, "Wash my hair?"

Red faced, Yusuke mumbled, "Yeah…"

Nonplussed, Kurama couldn't think of a reason to object to the strange request. "Okay…"

Awkwardly, Yusuke grinned as Kurama wet his head under the flowing water, turning his back to Yusuke when it was soaked. "No," Yusuke said. Kurama looked over his shoulder, confused. Are you too? "I…I wanna see your face," the brunet murmured, grabbing the shampoo bottle and squeezing a generous portion into his hand. Bemused, Kurama turned around and faced Yusuke, not really understanding, but accepting whatever it was. Yusuke rubbed his hands together, "I want to see your face," Yusuke repeated, running his fingers though the hair at Kurama's temples, "because what I have to say is important."

"Okay," Kurama murmured, "I'm listening." He held himself very still looked steadily into Yusuke's eyes.

Licking his lips nervously as his hands worked through the crimson strands that looked almost black wet. "Hiei and I were talking last night, after you went to sleep." Speaking of whom, I'm sure you're wondering what Hiei is doing…he's watching and listening. Sorry. "And, well, ummm….I'm not sure how to say this." Yusuke looked over at Hiei then back at Kurama, "Can he wash your back?" Again, left field here.

Now, Kurama was feeling a bit odd…very vulnerable, and he was sure he knew what Yusuke was going to say, and he wasn't completely sure he trusted the two not to try anything, but…he wanted to. "Okay," he answered softly.

Hiei moved behind Kurama, soaping his hands…now whether it's bar soap or gel is up to you, I think it's irrelevant, don't you…point is, he has soap on his hands, and lightly begins at Kurama's shoulders, rubbing gently in small circles, watching Yusuke as he continued to massage the red-black hair, creating a foamy cap on Kurama's head.

Yusuke began again, "Hiei and I were talking last night, and…well, some stuff came up that…well…"

"What he's trying to say," Hiei interrupted, "is that we've fallen for you and each other"

"Fallen?" Kurama asked, even though he knew what they meant.

"We love you," Yusuke answered, looking intently into the green eyes before him. "We both do, and we've also…we also love each other…and this is new to us…and…"

"We want to be with you," Hiei picked up the thread of the conversation, "even if…even if…"

"Even if you never want to have sex with us…" Yusuke whispered.

Kurama was floored. Remember that feather we've talked about a couple of times before. Well, it's Kurama's turn with it. "You don't want…"

Yusuke grinned a little, "I didn't say that…" Here, his grin faltered, "What we said was we want to be with you. We…we really do love you." Taking advantage of his hands in the soapy hair, Yusuke pulled Kurama's head forward, "We love you," he whispered as his lips touched the redhead's. Kurama's hand came up to Yusuke's chest to help him stay balanced and he could feel Hiei's arms wrap around him. You should be very proud of Hiei and Yusuke. The kiss, though very expressive, remained just a kiss, and Hiei's hands stayed above the waist. They did promise the redhead they wouldn't try anything, and they were going to keep that promise. Though, at the moment, Kurama wouldn't have protested, really. It's a bit overwhelming to be told not only does one person love you, but two do, and in a shower of all places, too. After a moment, too short, the two pulled back and resumed the more innocent activities of washing Kurama's hair and back.

Kurama was in a state of shock, kinda needless to say, and made no attempt to move under the water when Yusuke took his hands out of his hair and Hiei moved out from behind him. Gently, Yusuke took Kurama's shoulders and moved him under the water, understanding that he needed a minute or three to process what he'd just been told. Hell, Yusuke and Hiei had had the opportunity to sleep on it, after all. After making sure all the soap was out of the red locks, Yusuke moved the redhead to the side and quickly washed his own body and hair while Hiei did the same. When they looked over, Kurama has begun washing his own body, his expression still on the dazed side of life. Actually, his expression really didn't change through breakfast…lunch, rather, given the time, or the trip to the hospital.

"We'll pick you up in an hour," Koenma reminded the silent redheaded boy. He didn't understand the expression on Kurama's face, figuring that, given their behavior on the way to his home, for that's where they'd gone, the boys were in an established relationship. He didn't know they were just starting out on their path together. Had he known that, Kurama's expression and the covert glances Yusuke and Hiei kept giving the redhead would have made more sense.

"Shuichi, what's wrong?" Shiori asked when he entered her room, still looking dazed. Hatakama had gone his hotel room to shower and change when he knew what time Kurama would be coming to give them time together.

In the same daze, Kurama walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. "They love me…" he muttered.

"I'm so happy, Shuichi!" Shiori said softly.

Green eyes came up, confused, "Mother?"

"How do you feel about them?" she asked.

"I…I told them I loved them…" his voice hesitant.

"And, you meant it?"

"Yes…yes, I did…but…"

Shiori's hand came up to her boy's cheek, brushing his hair back, "But, what, Shuichi?"

He blushed, his cheeks matching his hair color. Yes, he could talk to his mother about anything, but there were some things that were down right embarrassing, no matter how open a relationship you have with your parent. But, let's remember, too, that Shiori has that heightened perception of being close to death and wanting her son taken care of, so when he didn't answer, she put two and two together and came up with, "But they love you as more than friends and you're not sure if that's what you want." Kurama's eyes flew wide and he gawked at her. "Don't give me that look, Shuichi," she reprimanded him gently, "I'm your mother, I know these things."

He stuttered, "It…it doesn't…doesn't bother you…?"

"They're nice boys, Shuichi. I like them."

Don't you feel badly for Kurama…now his mother, his own mother, is setting him up, encouraging him to date the two pervy punks he'd been through all of yesterday with…that he loved. He was confused and didn't think he could cope with anymore relationship things for the moment, so he changed the subject, "Have you eaten anything today?"

Shiori let him change the subject and they spent the rest of his visit discussing inconsequential matters such as school and track and the like. Her health came up, and she told him that the doctors were cautiously optimistic, which is more optimistic than they've been since her hospitalization. Just before their time was up, for Koenma had told her how long the boys would be around, she brought up the day before, "Shuichi, why did you tell them you loved them?"

He blushed, "I…at the time, I…I was a bit scared and…they'd been there for me…and it's how I felt…and…" his voice faded.

"Do you still mean it?"

Very softly, almost too softly to be heard, Kurama answered, "Yeah."

"Shuichi," Shiori said softly, "that is more important than anything else in the world." This from a woman who gave up an Olympic career for love.

"Even if…" his voice trailed off.

She caressed his cheek again, "What you do is up to you, Shuichi, but I trust you to be intelligent and use good judgment."

There was a knock on the door. Yusuke and Hiei were standing there with Koenma behind them. Shiori waved the boys over, and, after exchanging a glance and looking quickly at Koenma, they walked across the room. "I want you two to take care of my baby. If you hurt him, I'll make sure you hurt in return," her normally soft voice was hard.

Both Hiei and Yusuke blinked, surprised. Isn't real life depressingly short of sound effects? And what sounds would express utter confusion? "Yes…ma'am," they both managed to reply, almost in sync.

Shiori smiled, "Be good to each other." She laid back on the bed. She still didn't have a lot of extra energy. As I said, it's going to be a long time before she can think about leaving the hospital.

Yusuke spoke up, "I promised I'd take care of him, ma'am. I will."

Hiei added, "As will I."

Shiori smiled at the boys, "I'm glad. Don't take too much care of him, though, or he won't need his mother," she teased.

"I'll always need you!" Kurama protested.

"Not like you'll need them," she retorted, causing him to blush. Actually, Yusuke and Hiei blushed at this comment, as well.

Koenma cleared his throat at the door, much to the relief of the teased boys. None of them were expecting Shiori to be…so…contributing. But, she was feeling good, relief that her son was safe doing much to help her feel a little giddy. Or, maybe it was the new pain killer they'd given her that morning? Either way, she grinned at the boys as they left, feeling good…better than she'd felt in a long time.

A/N Euphemisms, showers and drugs...what more could you want? I don't really have anything else to say at the moment...and I'm short on working time today since I have to go to work early. Oh, I did want to add, while I was out yesterday (I took the day off work to go see Harry Potter...which felt like a 2 and a half hour preview), check out http / www. hrc. org It's the Human Rights Campaign's website. They're a group that is working for equal rights for gay and lesbian couples and individuals, such as marriage. Did you know, that dispite the Reciprocity of Public Documents, which makes birth, death, and marriage certificates of any state valid in all states, there are groups trying to amend the constitution to make homosexual marriage illegal? That's just wrong. Anyways, check it out.

Be kind and review :D Until tomorrow, my pretties :)


	12. Chapter 12

I know what you want now. I can read your mind, you see. You're thinking they've got most of the afternoon and all night. Lots of time for that glorious detail you so enjoy. The detail that keeps you up at night, dreaming of extra hot boy on boy on boy action. You really wish I would just cut to the chase and get on with it, too. You know those sayings about patience and good things and waiting people? Good. Remember them, and what I've been saying about life. Ready?

The boys were silent on the trip back to Koenma's. Between Shiori's words to all three of them and their individual visits, they weren't feeling very talkative at the moment.

Yusuke and Koenma had discussed why Yusuke hadn't known Koenma was his father, mostly having to do with preventing things like yesterday and letting him have a more normal life. That, and he and Atsuko barely got along. It's actually quite remarkable they got together long enough to conceive Yusuke. Currently, Koenma had another love interest. Remember Botan? Good.

Hiei had gotten the third degree about Kurama, Yusuke and their relationship. There are times having a judge for a father was a bad thing. He wanted to know everything, forcing the boy to admit to his prior relationship with Yusuke, which hadn't really been a secret so much as just not discussed. For him, it'd been a very long hour. His mind was still reeling, as were his emotions. One thing he was absolutely sure of, however, and he'd told Sensui this, earning a rare smile from the man. He was absolutely sure he loved Kurama and Yusuke and would do whatever it took to make their relationship work out.

So, our three, lost in their own thoughts, sat in the back of Koenma's van, hands just touching, not holding, just touching. When they arrived back at Koenma's, they went back to the room they'd slept in. Kurama sat on the floor, his back against the bed. Hiei sat on the bed and Yusuke went to watch the rain fall against the window pane. It was one of those quite rains that can hang around for days, or just a couple of hours, that brings a feeling of peace no matter what else is going on. Our boys needed that peace. George brought in a tray of food, finding the boys all staring out the window, still seated, or standing in Yusuke's case, where they had been. He set down the tray and left the room. Oddly, the sound of the door closing broke whatever spell had been cast, allowing the boys to move. Hiei laid down on the bed, his head next to Kurama's and Yusuke moved to set next to the redhead.

"Now what?" Kurama asked softly.

Hiei's fingers found their way into the red hair. "You know what we'd like," he answered as softly.

Yusuke's hand came to rest on Kurama's knee, "But, it's up to you." He squeezed slightly and smiled when Kurama's hand covered his. "What do you want, Kurama?" he asked, meeting the green eyes seriously.

Kurama looked at his hand covering Yusuke's. He, like you, knew what the two wanted. "I….I…I love you," he murmured, not looking at either of them, "but…but…I…I…I'm scared," he confessed in a whisper.

Hiei's arms went around his shoulders and Yusuke's other hand came up to hold his. "What are you afraid of, Kurama?" Hiei asked as he hugged the redhead.

"That…that once you get what you want, you'll leave me…that I'll still be alone." Now, remember if you will, Yusuke and Hiei both have reputations, of which Kurama was informed, once it became obvious that Yusuke was after him. In light of that, the comment makes more sense, doesn't it? Also, remember, at this time in his life, being alone is his biggest fear.

Yusuke got to his knees and came closer to Kurama, his hand going to the pale cheek. Softly, he asked, "Tell me what to do to show you I will not leave you."

Hiei's lips brushed against Kurama's temple. "We love you. This is new to us. Tell us what to do, please."

"We'll go as slow as you want, Kurama," Yusuke added, kissing the cheek his hand had brushed against.

Kurama's eyes closed as he took in their words, their gestures. So intense was their intent to prove to him that they wanted to be with him. He felt the intense fear of being alone releasing him, his mind and chest loosening. Tears began to fill his eyes, and very softly, he answered, "I believe you."

My dear reader, be prepared to curse life.

Yusuke moved in to kiss Kurama when the door burst open, Koenma rushing in. He was about to say something when the window where Yusuke had been watching the rain, fell inwards, showering the carped in a wet fall of shards. Every one in the room froze as rain came in through the new opening. Sharp noises quickly followed, spurring Koenma to yell, "Get out of here! Sakyo's been found!" More like, Sakyo found them, but that's beside the point.

The boys scrambled to their feet, working at not tripping over each other and darted to the door. George was just out side the door, and yelled at them "Basement, hurry!" pointing in the direction of a door that normally would have been hidden if it hadn't been open.

The three made it to the bottom of the stairs, in a largish room that looked more like it belonged in a bank as a vault rather than in a house as a basement. Or, maybe it was an old fall out bunker, they didn't know, but they ended up there and heard the door slam and lock above them, an echo-y noise that froze them in place a moment.

Hiei was the first to move, launching himself at Yusuke. "God!" he sobbed, burying his face in Yusuke's neck. Confused, Yusuke wrapped an arm around him as Kurama followed suit a heartbeat later, burying his face on the other side.

"What's with you two?" Yusuke asked irritably.

"The window…" Hiei choked out.

"You could have been…" Kurama sobbed.

Yusuke stood a moment before realization of what they meant dawned on him. When it did, he wrapped his arms tightly around the two. I'm sure you know what he realized. He'd been standing by the window not too terribly long before it'd shattered. Kurama's fear of being left alone returned full force, leaving him shaking. It had an odd effect on him, too.

Kurama brought his head up, his hands moving to Yusuke's face. "Don't leave me!" he sobbed before pressing their lips together firmly. One of Kurama's hands slid back into Yusuke's hair as his kiss became desperate and his other hand went to Hiei's hair, turning the boy's face to his. With equal desperation, Kurama kissed Hiei fully. He pulled back after a long moment and whispered again, "Don't leave me."

Yusuke and Hiei were a bit on the dazed side of life now. Remember, Kurama had never kissed either of them. They'd done all the kissing. And, Kurama had just kissed them. But, it was…odd, really. Neither boy knew how to respond. Neither knew exactly how to proceed. I know what you want them to do, and they wanted that too, even with the gun fight going on above, but…and this is really the odd part…they didn't want to take advantage of the redhead. Softly, Yusuke asked, "What do you want us to do to show we won't leave you, Kurama?"

Now, you'll remember how I said Kurama had had a few girlfriends, right? Well, remember also how I said none of them were serious? Remember Yusuke's assessment that Kurama was inexperienced? Do you get where I'm going with this or shall I spell it out? Yusuke was right. Should I quit interrupting?

"I…I…love me…make…love…please," Kurama whispered brokenly, his face turning the same color as his hair. I can hear you cheering.

Yusuke was dumbfounded. Seriously, he wasn't sure what he'd hear next anymore. Hiei took up the slack, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he whispered. "Yes," he repeated with more confidence, "yes, I'm sure."

Yusuke recovered from his dumbfoundedness enough to kiss those blushing cheeks, husking out, "I love you," and kissing Kurama fully on the lips, his arms tightening around both of them. Hiei had the presence of mind to look around the room. They'd been interrupted too many times already, he thought, and I'm sure you agree.

Let's take this moment to describe the room. As I said before, it was a largish room, resembling a vault, steel grey walls bare of any adornment. Actually, that's all that can be said about the room, except on one wall, there was a door. A door that would give them a modicum of privacy.

Hiei stepped away from the two. Surprised, the other two broke their kiss to look at him. He gestured at the door. "In there. It's too open here and I don't want Koenma walking in on us again."

Y'know the effect that cold water is supposed to have? Those words had pretty nearly the same effect, but not on who you'd expect.

"Fuck," Yusuke stepped back from the two. "We can't do this here. Not now."

Kurama protested, "Please…please…I need…I want…I need…" Shall I paraphrase? He'd made his decision and was in no mood to be denied what he'd asked for. His brain was functioning in a very nonlogical, very emotional way. If Yusuke and Hiei didn't give him what he'd asked for, that is, to make love to him, his brain was going to file it in the "total rejection" box instead of the "bad time and/or place" box. Now, the other two didn't know all this, nor did they to. They knew they had a panicky redhead who needed reassurance. And neither of them was stupid.

Yusuke stepped forward, back into Kurama's convulsive embrace, bringing his hand up to caress the redhead's flushed cheek while Hiei nuzzled into his neck. Yes, Hiei, the non-touchy one, nuzzled. "We love you," the said on the same breath, and Yusuke continued, "and we don't want to be interrupted again. You mean too much to us for that."

Wouldn't it be just too cruel for the door to open just now? Now, when we've reached such a critical moment, for life to throw just that much more at our boys. Do you think they'd recover? What about the person who interrupted them? And me? Would I survive your ire? No, my dear reader, the only interruption is from me. And now we know the answer to the questions I first asked. Our history is beginning its end. And I'll shut up now.

Yusuke's words, their gestures, affection and reason began to reach Kurama's mind, calming him. He took a couple of deep breaths, releasing his death grip around the two. "I know," he finally whispered.

Hiei kissed his neck, "Let's see what's behind that door." He straightened up, looking Kurama levelly in the eyes. "If it's a useable room, we'll continue. If not," he grinned a little, "the very first minute we get, you're ours!"

Kurama's eyes widened in surprise. "And if…if I change my mind?" his voice was unsteady, but he managed a small grin to show he was teasing.

"Not allowed," Hiei countered, kissing those slightly smiling lips before he stepped back. "Let's see what it is."

The door was unlocked, but when they opened it, Yusuke quickly declared, "That's not useable!" to which Hiei agreed, though his mind didn't rule out later. The jaw dropping, eye bugging noise for Kurama, please. So, what was behind the door? Well, you remember Koenma's love interest? Yeah, Botan. Remember her job? Information withdrawal, or, more plainly, torture. Can we leave it at she loves her work and takes it home with her? Or leave it that Karasu would have really liked the room? How about we just add the Spanish Inquisition had nothing on Botan? I think that's enough. If you want more, I direct you to the Marquise. If you don't know, then you're happier that way. Trust me.

Point is, Kurama was calm enough now that the delay was filed in the "bad time and/or place" box in his head. So, ardor cooled for now, the three sat with the door out of their line of sight. Kurama sat with his back against the wall, Hiei in his lap, Yusuke next to him. Thus, they waited, occasionally kissing, mostly just waiting. I should have mentioned earlier that the doors and walls were sound-proofed, so they couldn't hear what was going on. They also had no way of keeping track of time. Eventually, the toll of the day, of the weekend set in and they drifted off to sleep.

A/N: I'm so mean to you? I meant to gripe about it yesterday, but I killed a pen writing this story...seriously...since last Thursday...I totally used up a pen! It died! And I liked it too...it was new...and mahagony...someone told me it looked like I was writing with blood...but I liked it! and I killed it! I have nothing else really to say at the moment...I wanna finish chapter 14...which I partailly hand wrote in black ink...I dislike writing in black ink, but it's the only pen I had pout Anyways...my darling reviewers, I thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

"Boys…boys…it's time to wake up," Koenma's voice broke into their slumber. Slowly, the three dragged themselves to consciousness. Sometime during the night, they'd been moved and were now in a bed. None of them knew when, though. "Boys, breakfast will be in half an hour. It's time to wake up."

Groggily, Yusuke asked, "What time is it?"

"Six thirty."

Hiei complained, "Why you wake us up at such an ungodly hour?" He buried his face into Kurama's body, not wanting to leave the land of sleep or the redhead's embrace. As before, Kurama was on his back, his arms around Yusuke and Hiei, as the other two were draped over him.

"You have to go to school."

Kurama groaned, "Don' wanna," as his arms tightened around the two.

"If you don't go to school, I'll see that you three have no time to yourselves." He had been informed of the status of their relationship by Sensui and knew that just after, or during, a crisis, was no time to make relationship decisions. Not that any of them could get pregnant, but that was beside the point, if you know what I mean. He wanted to give them a chance at normalcy before they made any decisions.

Yusuke muttered "Bastard," as he pushed off the bed, the sentiment echoed by Hiei and Kurama as they stumbled to their feet.

Blearily, Kurama mumbled, "Shower…" looking around the room as if expecting one to show up from thin air. Koenma pointed to a door in the side of the room and Kurama stumbled toward it. Yusuke and Hiei made a motion to follow, but Koenma stopped them. Kurama was too out of it to realize he wasn't being followed and proceeded with his shower.

Koenma pointed to the bed. "I have something to say," he began. Exchanging a glance, Yusuke and Hiei sat, sleep leaving their brains. "I know you boys have been through a lot this weekend, but I don't want you making any rash decisions that you'll regret."

"We won't," Yusuke protested.

"Are you sure?" Koenma asked. "I know you three just met. I also am aware of your reputation, Yusuke." He pinned the boy with a hard stare before turning it on Hiei, "And yours. I will not stand by and watch you destroy him."

Yusuke got to his feet, his hands fisted at his sides, "We won't! We love him! We're not just going to fuck him and ditch him!"

Hiei stood as well, identical in posture, "I already went through this with my father. I will not hurt him. I will do whatever I need to to make him happy!"

"That's what matters to us, don't you get it? We love him!"

"We're not going to hurt him! We love him…I love him!"

"I love him!"

"And I love them," Kurama spoke up from the door way of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, his hair dripping on his shoulders and down his back. He'd just gotten wet when he'd heard the yelling in the bedroom, not having shut the door behind himself.

Koenma turned to face him, ordering, "Go take your shower,"

Kurama stepped out of the bathroom, "I think if you're going to discuss our relationship, we should all be involved. I appreciate your concern, but I am capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm aware of that. I saw what you did to Karasu." At Kurama's blank look, Koenma added, "The freak you kicked in the head. The point is, I'm not talking about physically taking care of yourself. I'm worried about your emotional well being."

Kurama stood quietly a moment, looking at the floor, deep in thought. Slowly, he began, "I know…I appreciate your concern. I know my mother worries about me, too." His eyes came up and he looked at Koenma calmly, "I really do thank you for worrying about me. I can't remember when so many people expressed so much care. Thank you. But, I also know how I feel, how I want to feel. I know that they make me happy, they make me feel safe. I know their reputations. I was told several times. But, I also know that, like you, Yusuke keeps his word once he's given it. He promised my mother he would take care of me. I know Hiei's changed, too. He's not like I'd been told he was. I want to believe them. I want to believe in them. But, I also agree with you. We have been through a lot." He glanced over at Yusuke and Hiei, their eyes on him intently. "We will go to school today, as normal. And then, to visit my mother. After that, what we decide from there is what we decide. Does this satisfy you?" Remember how I said Yusuke could play people? Kurama could argue with the best lawyers and win. And, he'd gotten enough water on him to wake him up…and make him look utterly delicious, though, with Koenma in the room, Yusuke and Hiei couldn't quite appreciate that fully. Would you like a better look, my dear reader? Kurama held the towel up to his chest, the corners caught in his hands, his hands crossed at the wrists, allowing the towel itself to drape down his back, resting against his lower back while his wet hair cascaded over his shoulders and down his back. Nice, isn't it? Shall I continue?

Koenma held the green eyed gaze a moment, almost trying to read Kurama's mind, it seemed. After a long moment, he nodded, "Fine. Finish your shower. George will take you to school."

"And Sakyo?" Yusuke asked.

"He is no longer a concern," Koenma answered levelly as he left the room. The tone of his voice caused a shiver to travel up all three spines.

Kurama turned and walked into the bathroom again, pulling the door closed behind him.

Nothing of great import happened over breakfast. Wanting to keep his deal with Koenma, Kurama wouldn't allow Yusuke or Hiei to touch him over breakfast or on the way to school. There, the trio was greeted by a tall, carrot topped teen. "Are you guys alright?"

"Yes, Kuwabara, we're fine," Kurama answered.

Accepting this, Kuwabara turned on Yusuke, "I don't like that you hurt him, punk." His fists came up, ready to pummel Yusuke.

Kurama calmly laid a hand on Kuwabara's fist, "He didn't."

Confused, the orange haired teen blinked, looking between Kurama and Yusuke. "It's his fault you…"

"I wasn't harmed. I can take care of myself. Do you need a demonstration?" There was a look in the redhead's eyes that made Kuwabara rethink his assumptions.

"No, that's okay. I'm glad you guys are okay. When I saw those creeps grab you…"

"Thank you, then," Kurama said, a smile on his lips.

"Huh…"

"I do believe that your witnessing our abduction was the factor that helped the situation be resolved quickly. Thank you, Kuwabara. Now, I think we have class to attend." At that moment, the first bell rang, a two minute warning and Kurama left to head to his class.

With a glare, Yusuke growled at Kuwabara, "I'm not going to hurt him."

"Better not," Kuwabara retorted.

"And if I did, he could kick my ass himself!"

"And I'd be in line," Hiei added.

"So, chill out, Kuwabara," Yusuke growled, pushing past the other boy, off to wander the halls. Kurama had said they'd go to school like they normally did, after all.

Hiei stepped closer to the tall teen, "If you hurt Yukina, I'll be after you, do you understand?" He was allowing Kuwabara to pursue his sister, can you believe it? And why? He wanted the time to spend with Kurama. He'd made his choice, and, when he really was honest with himself, Kuwabara wasn't really that bad.

Kuwabara snorted, "Like it's got anything to do with you, shrimp." Hiei merely growled, and the other boy paled, "Okay, I got it. I won't hurt her."

At lunch, Yusuke and Hiei sought out Kurama. He smiled when they joined him, his eyes holding a little more. "I've missed you," he said simply as Yusuke snagged a cold fry off his plate. Today, the main dish resembled a hamburger.

Yusuke returned the smile. "How do you eat this crap?" he groused, poking at the thing resembling a bun.

Hiei answered, "He hasn't had your crap for comparison."

"Keep that up and I won't feed you," Yusuke growled while Kurama laughed.

"What do you know, school food doesn't kill a sense of humor!" Hiei grinned.

Yusuke was pretending to pout at the insult to his culinary abilities when Kurama smiled at him, tipping his head to the side playfully, "How about I let you feed me after we see my mother?" His tone clearly implied he didn't mean food.

Remember all those kicks Yusuke's been getting around Kurama? This time, not his chest, lower.

Kurama turned his smile to Hiei, using the same tone, "and you could be dessert."

Hiei's hand came to the redhead's cheek. "No," he answered huskily, "you're dessert."

The sharp noise of the lunch lady clearing her throat kinda spoiled the mood. Don't you hate lunch monitors? Kurama blushed, looking down at his plate as Yusuke glared at the woman.

Still feeling that kick we talked about earlier, Yusuke asked, "Do we really have to finish out school today?" His hand slid to Kurama's thigh, "Can't we just go to your place?"

Kurama swallowed visibly. In spite of his flirting, he was still very nervous. "I…I don't think Koenma would leave us alone if we did." His eyes remained on his plate.

Both Yusuke and Hiei saw through this. Yusuke put his elbow on the table and propped his head up. "You're a virgin, aren't you?" he asked frankly. Kurama nodded. "And you're a little worried because we're not?" Again, Kurama nodded, still looking at, but not seeing his food. "You're going to have to take it from here. My mind reading skills only go so far."

Kurama's blush deepened. He mumbled, "What about condoms?" Actually, Hiei and Yusuke barely understood that, only the last word anywhere near comprehensible.

Hiei's hand went to Kurama's other thigh. "We don't use them with each other," he answered honestly, "but we have with anyone else. We'll use them with you, if you want. Anything to make you feel at ease." He licked his lips nervously as Kurama's eyes came up to look at him. "Even if you want to be with just one of us." He stammered out the next statement, "If…if you think…that, maybe at first, both of us would be too much…I can wait."

Kurama's hand covered Hiei's and Yusuke's covered both of theirs. "No," Kurama said, "I want both of you. It…I wouldn't feel right without both of you…not at first…not my first time. I…I want both of you. And…and…and I don't know. It's a lot to think about."

"Trust us," Yusuke whispered, removing his hand from Kurama's leg. "We can wait as long as you need us to. We're not going to rush you."

Kurama smiled, "I know, but…but I do want it…I want to be with you…with both of you." He looked at each one in turn. "I'm sure," he stated softly, without hesitation.

Yusuke smiled, "Well, eat that crap. You've got a lot to do before we get to that." He met Hiei's eyes with a look that clearly said they needed to talk. The red-eyed boy nodded as Kurama put the item posing as food in his mouth. The meal continued in silence, not that there was a lot of time. Actually, it was silent because there wasn't a lot of time left in the lunch period. With a quick "I love you," Kurama left for class.

Yusuke and Hiei, however, left the building for their favorite tree, but for just conversation this time, no strangely inexplicable movements. They sat side by side on the tree root in silence a long moment before Yusuke spoke, "This isn't what I had in mind last time we were here."

"I know," Hiei murmured, leaning against Yusuke.

Pleasantly surprised at the small sign of affection, Yusuke draped his arm around Hiei and Hiei moved closer to Yusuke. "I'm going to the store during track practice." They both knew, without saying, what he was going to get. I'm sure you know, too.

"I was thinking…" Hiei's voice trailed off. At Yusuke's hummed question, he continued, "I was thinking of rejoining track."

Yusuke chuckled. "You just wanna shower with him," he teased, knowing that Hiei also wanted to know which of them would be faster. When he felt the other boy start to growl, he tightened his arm around his shoulder, "I love you."

"Don't think that's going to get you off all the time," Hiei groused, turning an attempted glare at the brown eyed boy.

Yusuke leaned in, "How about this?" he asked, kissing Hiei fully on the mouth, slowly expressing his feelings with just his lips. Have you ever noticed how much can be expressed when people just shut up for a while? You don't have to agree, you know…

After a long moment, Yusuke pulled back. "How are we going to do this?"

Hiei frowned, "You…you showed me more than I know," he confessed, blushing slightly.

"What would you really like to do?"

Now, my dear readers, we're going to skip their conversation. Before you come after me with pitchforks and stakes, allow me to explain my decision. Would you rather read a conversation or the action? Do you want halting questions, stammered answers, euphemisms, and general guy speak or do you want details? Yes, yes, I know you want both, but I'm moving on. Pout all you want, but, my dear readers, it's not going to change my mind. Besides, that wonderful imagination of your can fill in the details, I'm sure.

Now, to track practice. Hiei had slipped into the locker room to change into gym clothes before the last bell. He wanted to surprise Kurama. When the rest of the team came out, he was already warming up, jogging around the track. Kurama grinned as he watched the dark haired boy. The coach, however, growled, "What are you doing here, traitor?"

Hiei snorted, "I heard you had someone worth my time on the team." He smiled at Kurama.

The coach, Genkai by name, if you care, growled, "You're not fast enough for anyone to worry about."

Hiei glared, "Then, why don't we just see if you're right?"

To the group in general, "Warm up, then we're doing wind sprints after Shuichi and Hiei race. If Shuichi wins, everyone has to beat their best time. If Hiei wins, everyone has to beat their best time. Get to warming up, now!" She then began circulating, correcting those who needed it.

"I was hoping I'd get to run against you," Kurama grinned as Hiei walked over to him.

"Hold back and you aren't getting any," Hiei threatened.

A twinge of uh-oh made itself known, "There's Yusuke…" Kurama began, trying to tease.

Hiei stepped closer to the redhead, "Don't worry. I'm just teasing you." With Genkai's voice getting closer, he didn't feel free to touch Kurama, but his eyes clearly expressed his desire. "You made a request. We will do our best to fulfill it."

Kurama smiled, "I love you." He was still a bit nervous.

"Are you two ready?" Genkai asked sharply.

Not answering verbally, the two took their places at the starting blocks.

You're not interested in who won, are you? You wouldn't care about such trivial matters as time? Kurama ran the 100 meters in 9 flat…Hiei in 9…flat. They tied. Yes, I know Kurama's best time is 8.93…no he didn't hold back. Best times are hard to hit. Anyways, let's skip the rest of practice shall we? Wind sprints can get awfully boring to watch.

Yusuke was in the hallway, waiting, when the two came out of the locker room. Oh, did you expect me to tell you what happened in the locker room too? Sorry, my readers, you're going to have to fill that in yourself. Keep in mind, there were people around and Kurama was nervous and all that. Nothing much happened. Well, Hiei peeked, a lot, but kept his comments to himself. And, he only had eyes for Kurama…in spite of previous remarks about how he missed the showers after track.

Anyways, Yusuke, in the hall, waiting. He had the items he'd procured in his pocket. Good thing punks like loose pants, isn't it? With big pockets. Anyways…they left the school and went to the hospital with a minimum of conversation. When they arrived, Maria greeted them, "She's asleep, but she asked me to tell you what she did today. She drank an ensure and managed to walk to the bathroom, which is mostly why she's sleeping."

Kurama was actually relieved, after a way. "Can we leave her a note?"

Maria found them a pad of paper advertising some drug or the other. Kurama wrote, "Mother, I love you. I'm glad you did well today. Don't push yourself too hard. Hiei ran track today. We tied. I'm happy, Mother, and I want you to be, too. I love you. Shuichi."

Yusuke took the paper away from Kurama and added his own note, "I will take care of him, you can count on me. Take care, Yusuke."

Hiei grabbed the pad next, adding, "I worked hard to tie with him. We will take care of him. Hiei."

Kurama grabbed the paper and added, "I worked hard to keep up with him. S" Before either of the other two could take the pad again, Kurama handed the note to Maria. "See you later, Maria," he smiled. Maria grinned at them and wished them a good night.

A/N: Well...I've been called worse than a tease...what's worse than a tease? But, I swear, I'm not that bad...I deliver...tomorrow. I think I said there were things that came up in this chapter that I didn't expect, right? Well...considering I didn't expect the story I also realized I put a lot of back story into this...but most of it's in what I don't exactly say...like at the beginning of this chapter...Anyways...I finished the lemon...and cut 1400 words (almost 3 full pages) to 31 words...and I hate those 31 words...but it had to be done to post it here. The uncensored version will be at my aff account. Ah, yes...word counts...since you care so much (or not, but this is my note and I'm gonna babble ;) ...I am currently at 52,432 words for the month of November...and when I got out of bed this morning, the sentance "You've never really let anyone in" was floating about in my head...and a little more, but I'm not sure where it's going...but, no matter, it won't be up until Friday at the earliest, and that's no guarentee...I do promise, however, that unless I die, the last chapter will be up tomorrow...

Until tomorrow, I remain yours, ;) Review and tell me what you think ;)


	14. Chapter 14

Kurama's steps started lagging as they approached his apartment. He was getting nervous. Well, more nervous than he was. Yusuke, sensing this, wrapped his arms around the redhead. "We don't have to do it tonight," he said softly.

"I want to, I'm just nervous," Kurama returned, letting his head rest on Yusuke's head while his eyes sought out Hiei. "I really do want to, but…I'm afraid it'll hurt. I've…I've heard it does…"

Hiei wrapped his arms around the two. "At first, a little, but not for long," he reassured the redhead. "And, we'll do everything we can to make sure it's only a little and doesn't last long." His hand came up to caress Kurama's cheek as Yusuke's mouth went to his neck, "We'll make you feel good, we promise. And if you want us to stop at any point, no matter what, we will."

"We promise," Yusuke murmured against his neck.

Kurama stood there a minute, letting the two comfort him while their words reached his brain. After a moment, he took a deep breath, the nervous feeling moving from his stomach lower. "Okay," he said at last and they resumed their walk, hands entwined, Kurama in the middle.

At the door, they reluctantly released their hands, allowing Kurama to open the door. When they were inside, Kurama stood nervously, looking between the other two, waiting. Yusuke took the lead, as he and Hiei had discussed, gently pulling Kurama's hand, leading him to the bedroom. When they were in the room, Hiei wrapped his arms around the redhead, kissing a trail up his neck, along his jaw and finally to his lips while his fingers threaded through the crimson locks. Yusuke pulled the supplies out of his pockets, setting them on the bedside table before pulling the blankets to the foot of the bed. He walked over behind Kurama, who was moaning slightly in his kiss with Hiei, and pressed his body up against the redhead's back, moving his hair out of the way so he would have access to the graceful column. Kurama moaned louder in his kiss, one of his hands reaching around to hold Yusuke's hip. Yusuke licked the flesh before his mouth and began sucking on it in earnest, drawing more groans from the trapped redhead.

Hiei broke his kiss with Kurama and began pulling the redhead's shirt out of his pants. Yusuke took the opportunity to claim that delectable mouth before it could protest its abandonment. Hiei pushed the shirt up, his hands caressing firm muscles under soft skin. Hesitantly, remember, he's only had one lesson, he brought his lips to Kurama's chest over his heart. Kurama moaned and Hiei felt more confident. His lips trailed over to the darkened circle of flesh. Kurama broke his kiss with Yusuke to cry out. Hiei was about to pull back when Yusuke's hand held his head in place and the brown eyed boy asked, "Is it good, Kurama?"

Whimpering, Kurama answered, "Y-y-yes."

Confidence restored, Hiei began sucking harder, drawing the nub into his mouth, letting his tongue taste the flesh, enjoying Kurama's cries now that he knew they were pleasurable noises. Yusuke's hand left his head and pulled the redhead's shirt off. One of Kurama's hands went to Hiei's head while the other draped behind him, holding Yusuke's head. "Do you want more, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

"Please," Kurama moaned as Hiei's teeth brushed against his nipple.

Yusuke pulled Kurama's hand off his head and kissed the palm before stepping around and beginning with the redhead's mouth, kissed a trail down his neck to his other nipple. Hiei watched as well as his position on Kurama's chest allowed. Kurama laced his fingers through Yusuke's hair, holding both boys to his chest, lost in sensations he didn't know could be elicited from his body. Sure, he'd jacked off. I mean, what guy hasn't? But, this…this was completely different. He could feel his pants growing tighter and the nervous tension becoming almost unbearable in his groin. He let his head fall back, trusting Yusuke's arm around his body to hold him upright, giving himself up to the sensations coursing through his body, starting at the mouths on his chest.

Slowly, Yusuke trailed kisses back up the way he'd come, Hiei following him, until they both reached the redhead's mouth, sharing a sloppy, tongue-y three way kiss. Yusuke and Hiei pressed their bodies against Kurama's and he could feel that they, too, were enjoying themselves as hips pressed together. Yusuke's mouth remained on Kurama's and Hiei trailed kisses over to Yusuke's ear, nibbling on it slightly before gently threading his fingers in Kurama's hair and encouraging him to do the same on the other side. A little bemused, Kurama followed suit, leaving Yusuke's mouth free to encourage the two with moans of pleasure and whispered words of encouragement that are better imagined than written.

Hesitantly, Kurama slid his hands down out of the hair they held. Remember, he really hasn't touched either of his lovers other than their heads or hands, while awake, that is. Nervously, he began pulling at their shirts, sliding his hand under the hem of each. Yusuke rolled his hips in him as moaned when he felt the redhead's hand against the bare skin of his back. "So good," he whispered. Thus encouraged, Kurama began caressing the skin his hands found, seeking to draw out more pleasurable noises. Hiei, his mouth otherwise occupied, moaned and massaged Kurama's head with the hand that still held the red locks. Hiei slid his hand under Yusuke's shirt, joining Kurama's in caressing the smooth skin and he felt Yusuke's hand against his back, as well. After a long minute, more like three or four, where Hiei and Kurama explored his back and neck with hands and lips, Yusuke managed to suggest, "Why don't you take off my shirt?"

Kurama moaned, lifting his head away from Yusuke's neck. "And Hiei's too…I wanna…I wanna try what you did to me."

Yusuke caressed his cheek, murmuring, "You can do whatever you'd like to, or not, it's up to you." He looked Kurama in the eye, a serious expression under the glaze of lust, "And, if we're doing anything that bothers you, tell us, we'll stop, okay?"

Kurama returned the serious gaze, "I will. I will, I promise." He kissed Yusuke on the lips and then pulled his hand out from under Hiei's shirt to removed Yusuke's shirt with Hiei's help and then Yusuke helped him remove Hiei's shirt. Kurama stood staring a moment before placing one hand on each boy's chest. They watched as he slowly traced their chests, his fingers light, almost tickling. For a moment, he looked torn, as if he couldn't reach a decision. Hiei made a move toward Yusuke and that seemed to make the decision in Kurama's mind. He moved, bringing his lips to Yusuke's shoulder, mimicking Hiei's actions and kissing along the collarbones. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Hiei and followed his actions. Hiei was aware of this, and it made him both nervous and hot. Nervous because he felt like he was putting on a show and he didn't feel entirely confident with the whole touching thing yet, hot because he was getting to practice the whole touching thing with the redhead that inspired him to try it in the first place. Aren't we all happy for that inspiration?

Yusuke moaned in appreciation, his hands slipping into his lovers' hair, encouraging them as their arms wrapped around him and each other. Hiei and Kurama kissed along his collarbones from shoulder to center. When they reached center, they shared a kiss with each other then continued down Yusuke's chest. When they reached his nipples, both paused a moment, looked at the other and, while looking at each other, licked Yusuke's chest. Yusuke, watching them, groaned in appreciation Hiei and Kurama broke their gaze and began to earnestly devour the peaked nubs. They could both feel Yusuke's moan of pleasure rumble past their lips, and they both liked it.

After a long moment, during which Yusuke could feel his knees protesting and threatening to go on strike, he suggested, "Why don't we move to the bed?"

Slowly, with the popping noise of released suction, Kurama looked up at him. "Can we do this to Hiei, too?" He thought that moving to the bed would end their foreplay fun and that made him nervous again.

Hiei groused, "You'd better, I don't want to be left out."

Yusuke, whose mind reading skills went a little farther than he thought, caressed Kurama's cheek, "That and much more before we even take off our pants."

Kurama smiled, relaxing again. "Good, I'm glad," he murmured, leaning into Yusuke's touch.

Yusuke rubbed his thumb over Kurama's cheek a moment, looking into his eyes. He bent in and claimed a quick kiss before taking the redhead's hand and leading him slowly over to the bed. Kurama pulled on Hiei, encouraging him to follow, not that he needed the encouragement, really. Yusuke took Hiei's hand and guided him to sit on the bed first, kissing him before he let go of his hand so that he could scoot back from the edge. Kurama glanced at Yusuke nervously before crawling next to Hiei, his hand trailing over the bare abdomen. Yusuke settled on the other side of Hiei, his hand caressing Kurama's arm. He would wait for the redhead to feel more comfortable and make the first move. Hiei brought his hands up and caressed his lovers' arms, also waiting. He and Yusuke had talked about everything they could think of under that tree, and they both agreed that pressure would not be something they did. They would stop immediately at any point Kurama was unwilling and leave. There would be no "seduction"…either Kurama was completely willing or it wouldn't happen, that's the way it would be. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," Kurama returned in the same tone, "I'm just getting used to this."

"We can stop…"

"No…no, I don't want to stop. I like it…I just need to get used to it."

"Take your time, love. We have all the time you need," Yusuke answered, smiling softly.

"So, you have forever?" Kurama asked, his eyes dark with emotion.

"Twice over," Hiei returned, his voice heavy with that same emotion. "And that still may not be enough."

Kurama drew the two into a hug, a bit awkward on the bed, but that didn't matter, what mattered was he hugged them, "I love you two so much…it hurts almost."

Yusuke and Hiei caressed his back. "We love you, too…I love you," they answered, their voices hitched.

Kurama pulled back, smiling softly. "I'm ready," he murmured, bringing his lips to Hiei's and kissing him fully, his tongue slipping between his lips to touch the other boy's. Hiei's hand squeezed his arm gently as he opened his mouth, inviting the questing appendage in. Shyly, Kurama took that invitation, enjoying the sensations that coursed his body when Hiei's tongue met his. Actually, that goes without saying, doesn't it? Kurama explored Hiei's mouth slowly, eventually the need for air becoming too persistent to ignore anymore. He pulled back and hovered over Hiei a moment, panting, uncertain what to do before he remembered what they'd done to him and what Hiei had guided him to do to Yusuke. He pressed his lips chastely against Hiei's and began trailing kisses back to his ear. Yusuke kissed Hiei on the lips and mimicked Kurama's actions on the other side of his face. When Kurama reached Hiei's ear, he whispered, "I love you," before taking the sensitive lobe into his mouth. Yusuke did the same on the other side.

"I love you," Hiei answered, his voice full of passion. He felt both of the others moan around his ears and tightened his hold on their arms, frustrated that his arms were trapped by his sides instead of wrapped around his lovers. "I wanna hold you…please," he moaned.

Both Yusuke and Kurama pushed their bodies up from the bed, Yusuke surprised and gratified he didn't have to prompt Kurama to move. Hiei only cared that he could move his arms to wrap around his lovers, his fingers toying with their hair. The two, once they were sure Hiei was happy, moved down his neck, Kurama watching Yusuke for cues as well as listening and paying attention to Hiei's actions, wanting to learn as much as he could for later. His nervousness was being replaced with desire, though it still remained, almost fueling his desire at times. He could feel the weight in his groin growing heavier and was looking forward to what would happen next, even if it scared him a little, too. He pushed that thought from his head and concentrated on making a mental map of Hiei's body. He blushed slightly as his lips touched Yusuke's over Hiei's voice box, eliciting a moan from Hiei. His eyes met Yusuke's and the look in those brown eyes…y'know that kick Yusuke's been feeling? Kurama felt it…both in his chest and lower. They stared into each other's eyes a long moment before Hiei's whimper brought them back to the physical world. They kissed briefly before returning to pleasuring the boy under them. Blindly, their hands sought out each other and their fingers laced together as they continued down Hiei's neck and chest.

You'll remember, of course, that Hiei really liked it when Yusuke played with his nipples, right? That was nothing compared with how he felt when Kurama's and Yusuke's mouths took the peaked flesh into them. He cried out, panting, moaning, as his hips thrust against his lovers' bodies, seeking release in the most expedient manner possible. Kurama's eyes went wide and he would have pulled back if the action hadn't required squishing his skull. Yusuke squeezed his fingers reassuringly and he sought out the brown eyes again. This calmed him and he smiled as well as he could around the flesh in his mouth. Yusuke returned the smile and slowly slid their hands down Hiei's stomach, giving Kurama every chance to protest, to stop their motion. Kurama blushed when he realized their destination, but made no move to stop or protest. Yusuke stopped at Hiei's waist band, a questioning look in his eyes as he waited. After a moment, Kurama closed his eyes and slid their hands lower, hesitantly caressing Hiei's erection through his pants. Hiei's moans began to sound like whimpering please as he bucked into their touch. Yusuke untangled his fingers from Kurama's and began working on unfastening Hiei's jeans. He was surprised when he felt Kurama's hand slide past his and under Hiei's waist band. He looked at the redhead. Kurama's eyes were closed and his cheeks matched his hair color, but what Yusuke could see, before Hiei's movement demanded his attention, was a mixture of embarrassment, determination and desire.

Now, Kurama had been thinking about this all day. Not in quite as specific terms as Yusuke and Hiei had discussed, but he did have some idea what to do. I mean, he was a guy and they were guys. He knew what felt good to him. He felt an odd mixture of shyness, boldness, certainty, nervousness all suffused by desire and love. He could tell Hiei and Yusuke didn't want to pressure him and that helped him feel bolder. He was about to complain that Hiei was pulling his hair too much while his hand massaged the other boy's erection when Hiei's hands flew to his mouth and his shaft pulsed in Kurama's hand. Wide eyed, Kurama looked at Hiei, Yusuke, Hiei…you get the idea. Yusuke didn't know what to say, or do, and Hiei was not really thinking at the moment. Softly, Kurama asked, his voice slightly awed, "That good?" To which Hiei could only nod, dazed. A smile appeared on the redhead's lips and he murmured, "I'm glad," while moving up to kiss Hiei.

Yusuke released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and continued working Hiei's pants off his body. When Hiei's legs were free, he pushed the redhead back, breaking their kiss long enough to whisper, "Are you ready for your turn?"

The two then proceeded to show Kurama just how loved he was in ways better imagined than read, I'm sure, my dear readers. Needless to say, they all enjoyed themselves greatly.

As their bodies relaxed, Hiei fell forward onto Kurama's chest and Yusuke sat on his heels, his head resting against Hiei's lower back and Kurama just collapsed into the bed. All three remained still for a long time, overwhelmed by emotion, by fatigue, by everything. After a long moment, Yusuke moved to crawl up onto the bed next to Kurama and Hiei moved to the side. With delicate care, Yusuke removed the spent condoms from the three and shoved them into the empty box he'd set near the redhead and dropped it onto the floor before nuzzling into the redhead. "I love you so much," he mumbled as he let himself relax again, his eyes drifting closed.

Hiei reached over Yusuke and pulled the blankets up over them, wondering if he should suggest they move more properly onto the bed. He ruled that idea out when the simple act of trying to cover them left him fatigued. "I love you both," he murmured as his eyes drifted shut.

Kurama wrapped his arms around the two. "Thank you," he whispered, his arms tightening as he said, "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

A small chuckle rose from Yusuke's chest as he tangled his fingers with Hiei's on the redhead's chest. "Good, I'm glad," he yawned out, letting himself fall asleep.

Well, my dear readers, it's been six months since the events I've chronicled for you. Do you wish to know how things are going for our boys?

Kurama is back in aikido classes, working on his godan belt. He's also teaching a beginner's class. He has two extra special students in that class. Yusuke and Hiei wanted to learn aikido after seeing what it could do. Yes, all three are still together, very happily so. Yeah, they have problems. What couple…err…trio doesn't? But, overall they're happy together. Yusuke lives with Kurama, and Hiei mostly lives there, but Sensui won't let him move out completely. There is no more microwave crap allowed in the apartment.

Shiori is doing well. She's allowed to go on day passes, to leave the hospital for a couple of hours at a time. The doctors are fairly certain she'll be able to spend Christmas out of the hospital, maybe even be discharged by then. Hatakama proposed, and she accepted with Kurama's blessing. They also decided that when she gets out of the hospital, Kurama would still be allowed to live on his own, well, with Yusuke and Hiei, provided his grades stayed up. She has heard her son laugh many times.

Kuwabara walked Yukina home almost every day, but had yet to ask the girl out. He was too shy. Kinda funny isn't it? And she was too shy to ask him, so they walked home together almost every day, both wanting to say more, but too embarrassed to.

Itsuki actually listened to Sensui and stayed home. Actually, that was also part of the reason Sensui wouldn't let Hiei move out. He was afraid of loosing both of those he cared deeply about. He was more open about his feelings and had actually been heard to say "I love you" occasionally.

So, my dear readers, was the ending worth the bad beginning, and the rough middle? Or is this, in itself, really only the beginning?

A/N Well, my friends...I hope. Are you satisfied with the ending? If not, the full version of this chapter can be found at my homepage. I kept wanting to go back and tweak things, but kept telling myself "No, you've got good insticts for this, stop it!"...at least I've been told I have good insticts for this...I hope so! I've started my next story, which was inspired by the lines "You've never really let anyone in" and "what about the green ones?" and is just as odd as the inspiration. I may have something Friday...or not...it's not a rush job like this one was...it's strange...I just said that. Anyways, my dears, as always, I love reviews ;D

Well, even though my tale has come to an end, please continue to review as reviews make me happy and happiness encourages me to write more for your amusement :D


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